Honesty Lies In The Eyes
by Underated-Tenten
Summary: Sakura unintentionally commits an act of treason, earning her a 90 day sentence as a servant to the royal Uchiha family. It instantly becomes clear that they have something big to hide, but will uncovering the truth ultimately be the cause of her death? Rated R for Lemons/Mature Themes/Language/Etc. Mainly Sasu x Saku and Sai x Ino slight Fugaku x Mikoto and Naru x Hina
1. Chapter 1

_**Some beginning-of-story notes that may help with immersion:**_  
_**The Eyes takes place in an AU where Konoha is an extremely large and isolated town/country that has many serious issues with the negligent Uchiha royal family as the core of each and every one.**_  
_**Similarly to the Naruto Shippuden anime, Konoha has an odd mixture of modern and outdated technology and architecture.**_  
_**It's uncommon for women to wear shorts or pants, instead wearing more modern versions of a mashup between Victorian and Romantic Era dresses.**_  
_**Men often wear expensive suits and tuxedos if they can afford them.**_  
_**Konoha is split into three very distinguishable classes: the wealthy upper class, the desperate middle class, and the struggling lower class that makes up nearly half of the entire population of the town.**_  
_**The members of the upper class were almost all born into their wealth, only a lucky handful catching a break somewhere in their middle-class lives and bettering the lives of their families exponentially.**_  
_**The middle class is made up of those who are either distant relatives of the upper class members or were once lower class citizens who worked their entire lives to move out of the slums.**_  
_**Most of the middle class is made up of older people because of this.**_  
_**The lower class is where Sakura and her family reside, but luckily they are much closer to the middle class neighborhood than most.**_  
_**The streets are often filled with crime and trash because the Militia (The law enforcement officers of Konoha) tend to ignore crime unless it directly affects the royal family or money is involved.**_  
_**Crimes involving the Uchiha family are considered more serious than most and always have the most severe punishments.**_  
_**The Uchiha family resides in a magnificent castle behind a large wall that surrounds the entirety of the upper class district.**_  
_**The wall itself is made up of the most colorful jewels and stones, attracting many travelers from afar that eventually end up stuck in the town, just adding to the over-populated lower class district.**_  
_**The royal family themselves haven't been seen by the public for at least fifty years and their lack of physical appearance is almost as bad as their lack of compassion for anyone on the wrong side of their towering wall.**_  
_**Many civilians hold anger in their hearts toward the family that is supposed to govern Konoha since they've let the class system get so terribly unequal.**_  
_**Sakura and Naruto both feel this way quite seriously and that fact may help you understand their characters' decisions throughout the story.**_  
_**I hope these details help!**_  
_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

The difference between upper class and lower class can be defined solely by a person's eyes. I can tell, I really can. My mom says I have a screw loose, but I know she believes me deep down inside. She tells me to keep quiet when we're out in public in fear the militia will take something I say as treachery and punish us all for treason. I try to do as she wishes just so she'll leave me alone.

This town is a dinner table of people's lives. At the head with a knife and fork is the royal family Uchiha. Only a select few citizens outside of the upper class have ever seen a member of the family in person. Their flamboyant castle, surrounded by a number of upperclassmen's family homes, lay arrogantly behind the wall. The wall stands over fifty feet tall and is made of only the most colorful stone.

When a visitor to our town, Konoha, sees the wall for the first time, they undoubtedly notice the way it sparkles when the light hits it's vibrant surface. When I look at it all I see is the way the starving members of the lower-class hang their heads in shame of their lives. My family, the Harunos, are lucky enough to have a home. While we often struggle to put food on the table, at least we have a roof over our heads and the ability to get even the most basic of education.

Our home is located a mere walk from the alleyways that hold hundreds of homeless families and animals. Theft, murder, and violence in general are common in this area. For a family full of girls, it can get intimidating at times. Mom says if we pray for safety, God will provide. I think she's full of it.

The Uchihas are to blame for everything. They care little for the people of their town, never bothering to put effort into fixing the constantly growing list of issues. I'm sure they are just waiting until we all die of starvation and disease so they can build a bigger castle to fill with their endless supply of gold and food.

"Wipe that glare off your face and pray, Sakura, " My mom's threatening whisper pulled me from my impassioned thoughts. I rolled my eyes before squeezing them shut and bowing to rest my head on the pew in front of me to look as though I were praying. God has done little for me my whole life. I was done praying for a miracle.  
A few members of the church shushed my mother which caused Ino, my sister, to snicker. Ino and I are complete opposites. She enjoys flirting with boys and pretending to be of a higher class. She's a seamstress and makes her own clothes to look much more expensive than they really are. More often than not, she does a great job of fooling those who don't know the truth. She openly cares little for books or cooking, fixating instead on finding a rich husband to "save her" from this life and nothing else. Her looks are profound, with hair that's long, blond, and shiny, curling down and around her shoulders with ease. Her eyes are a royal cobalt blue.

I, on the other hand, am nothing like that. My interests are reading, cooking, and fighting. I have no idea how to fight, which is probably a critical mistake given our living conditions, but I've always wanted to learn. It's always been against my beliefs to just wait for a man, or anyone for that matter, to save me. I'll save myself from this life. My eyes are a cloudy green and my hair's a long mess of pale pink, always falling into my face.

My mother, Mebuki, has short dark blond hair and green eyes that're slightly darker than my own. Our father died of illness when Ino and I were just toddlers, when a shock of influenza had swept through Konoha and devastated those who couldn't afford the necessary vaccinations. Dad had made sure that his three girls were taken care of, but couldn't afford the fourth vaccine for himself. As a result, Mom was forced to raise us alone, becoming very strict and scathing along the way. A part of me has always thought that she blamed Ino and I for her beloved's early demise, as though we had any say in it as two-year-olds.

Soon, praying was finished and we sat back down in our pew and at least pretended to pay attention to the pastor's sermon. Ino was passing notes back and forth with the Inuzuka boy who sat behind us and my mother was far too riveted by our pastor's words to pay any attention to her teenage daughters. I felt a poke on my arm and glanced over to see a wadded up ball of paper the size of a marble fall to the floor. I looked up to see who had thrown it only to make eye contact with Naruto, my best friend, across the aisle. He gave me a mischievous smile before a small wave. I smiled back at him and covertly waved back.

Naruto and I had grown up together. He lives next door to us and has a huge crush on Ino despite her refusing to give him the time of day. She thinks of him as an idiot, but Naruto and I know it's only because he doesn't have any money. His family runs a bakery out of their home and often trades some of their food for Ino's clothing.  
Ino's the main source of income for our house since Mom started losing it. She's revered by the majority of others in town as a crazy woman and no one wants to employ her because of it. It all started about five years ago, when Ino and I had just turned twelve. Mom had been fired from the Uzumaki bakery for being rude to customers.  
It's not that my mother was that mean, back then anyway, it's just that she's insanely religious to the point that if someone commits what she considers a sin in front of her, she'll absolutely lose her sense of appropriation. She'd apparently lost it one too many times with customers and Kushina had had no choice but to let her go. She offered to let me and Ino work there, but Mom refused to let our family have any ties to them anymore.

So, basically, Naruto and I's friendship has been a secret for five years now. I have had trouble finding work, meaning absolutely zero luck at all, solely because of my appearance. People assume my hair is dyed and think that any lower-class person with the brazenness to dye their hair pink has to be a troublemaker. It's not my fault that the gene is recessive and Ino was lucky enough to dodge it. Given that our father was originally from another country, one that Mom wouldn't give us any information about, no one else has the same hair color and I don't have any backstory to use when trying to argue my case. This fact alone does wonders to make me feel terrible for not helping provide for my family.

After the church service ended, we all greeted and mingled with the other members of the church, as we were accustomed to before finally filing out of the hot building and starting our trek back home on foot. We lowered our heads each time we passed a member of the militia, armed soldiers that paroled the town all hours of the day. I glared at the ground with tight fists.

This town has to change. We shouldn't have to live in fear of being beaten every time we go outdoors just because some soldier has a wild hair up their arse one day. No sooner than we'd stepped foot inside our humble home did Mom wack me on the side of my head. Anger slid into my muscles, gritting my teeth together to hold my tongue.  
"Are you thick, girl?! Those guards were staring at you for glaring. Do you want to get beaten? Haven't I raised you better than this? And at church! How dare you disrespect the lord in his own house? You'll have no dinner tonight as punishment." I spun on my heel, for my stomach had been rumbling since morning, "Mother, please! I haven't eaten since yesterday morning." I hid my anger behind desperation. My stomach was thinking louder than my brain.

She gave the side of my head another wack, "Do not talk back to your mother, girl. Now head to do your chores so I don't take away tomorrow's food as well." Tears welled up in my eyes, but I turned my back to her and indignantly left the room to do as told. I can't just keep crying every time something like this happens. I need to do something. I need to make a change. Tears fell to mix in with the dirt in the pile I was sweeping up as I continued to do exactly as I always did: chicken out.

* * *

Later that evening, I sat on my cot while reading one of my many books when a small pebble came through the open window at my side and landed on my lap. I glanced over to see Naruto smiling not a foot away from me. I dog-eared my page and sat it down on my pillow, whispering, "What's up?" He motioned for me to come outside, "I have a surprise for you!"

I looked at the sliver of sky that showed between the roofs of Naruto's house and my own. It was already sunset. The streets would become significantly more dangerous once night fell. I gave him a look, "It's almost dark, Naruto. I don't know..." He shook his head with a laugh before pulling a pocket knife from his dirty pant's pocket, "Don't worry, Saku. We'll be alright."

I felt a little nervous that Naruto had stolen his father's knife, but ultimately decided to climb out the window and join him. Once I was steadily on my feet outside, he patted my shoulder gently and we started walking. "You're looking a little pale, Sakura. Have you eaten?" I glanced at him and the mental weight of being a burden to others slammed down on my shoulders, "Yeah, I'm just feeling a little tired is all."

He shrugged and continued walking for nearly ten minutes until we turned down an alleyway further into the ghetto area. He looked around for anyone else and when he saw that the coast was clear, he turned to face the brick wall in front of us. He smiled at my confused face before pulling out one of the bricks to reveal a hide-away hole with a small brown sack sitting inside. I had trouble seeing clearly with the lack of sunlight, but it was clear that the bag itself was of a quality above what Naruto and I were used to.

He snatched it out of the wall and replaced the brick before sliding down to the ground and patting the ground next to him for me to sit. I smoothed out my skirt before doing so and watched with curious eyes as he untied the bag. He soon turned it on it's side and onto his waiting palm fell a small stack of gold coins. I didn't need much light to see their obvious value.

I leaned forward on my palms to get a closer look, trying to keep my voice down as much as possible despite my surprise, "Naruto! Where did you get those!" I glanced down the alleyway to recheck that no one was around. The militia often confiscated items they felt were stolen. If two raggedy teenagers like us started walking around with money like that, we'd easily be apprehended.

He split the small stack of coins in two and handed me half, "I found this hole yesterday and this was inside. Here, we'll each take half." The coins felt heavy in my palm. I picked up one with my other hand and flipped it over to see the Uchiha insignia shine up at me. These were real gold coins.

With this amount of money, I could buy us a house in the middle class area and keep food on the table for a few months. With a shake of my head, I reluctantly held the money away from me, "Naruto, if we get caught-" He shushed me with an alarmed look on his face. There was a loud commotion behind me.

I turned to look over my shoulder, shoving the coins into my skirt's pocket so they wouldn't be seen, to see a man forcing a small woman against a wall. She was crying and trying to push him away. That familiar anger filled me and that same thought passed through my mind again.  
Something has to change.

Without thinking, I snatched Naruto's pocket knife from his unsuspecting hand and sprinted over to shove the large man away from the young woman. The man stumbled back a few steps and I stood in front of his prey with the knife in both of my shaking hands. Every inch of his skin was covered with cloth, his face covered with a mask, even. "Sakura, what are you doing!" I heard Naruto run up to stand next to me with his hands up in defense.

He addressed the masked man before us, "Look, man, I'm sorry. She's been sick with fever and-" I cut off his attempt to excuse ourselves, "No I haven't." My hands still shaking, I took a step towards the man, "If you don't leave right now, I'll kill you." My voice was shaky, but the stranger seemed to take me seriously because he slowly turned and sprinted off into the dark.

As soon as I was sure he was gone, the knife slid through my fingers and I fell to my knees. Relief flooded through me as I panted for breath. I did it! I did something! "U-Um.. Thank you!"

I was pulled from my euphoria. Oh yeah, the girl! Naruto picked his knife up and folded up to put back in his pocket before helping me up. We simultaneously turned to see a young woman of obviously better class than us. She had thick black hair and lavender eyes set against porcelain skin. Her clothes were dark to blend in with the alleys, but were of such high quality that I could probably pay my rent for a year with the cost of them.

Naruto and I were silent, obviously stunned, so the girl bowed to us, "T-Thank you for saving me..um..what is your name?" She was talking to me. I bowed back, "Sakura Haruno, ma'am." It was clear that she was a noble and I didn't want to receive punishment for addressing her incorrectly. Naruto quickly mirrored my actions, "A-And I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" I glanced over at him and noticed a bright red tinge on his cheeks.

We rose together. The girl spoke again, "I-I'm terribly sorry for inconveniencing you, Sakura and Naruto. My n-name is Hinata. I was, um.." Despite her stutter, I could tell just by looking into her eyes that she was rich. Remember, I said I can always tell.

I could also tell that she was like me in some ways. I cut her off, more at ease, "You were running away from home, weren't you?" There was the same look in her eyes that I often saw in my own when I'd catch my reflection in a window or mirror. The look of melancholy that came with incessant self-resentment. She looked guilty for a moment before motioning the way we'd come from, "I'd hidden some money for myself and got attacked by that man on my way to retrieve it."

I glanced at Naruto and he glanced back at me. We both sighed and pulled what we now knew was her money from our pockets to offer back to its original owner. She looked shocked before putting two and two together as to why we were in the alleyway. Hinata let out a small laugh that sounded like bells twinkling, "P-Please keep it as a token of my gratitude."

Her small smile quickly disappeared and she poked her two index fingers together, "Could I a-ask just one more favor?" Naruto answered before I could, "Of course! Anything!" Her face turned a matching shade of red as his, "Is there anyway y-you two could help me back to the wall without b-being noticed by the m-m-militia? My family, they don't know that I-I left and after this, " she gestured to the alleyway, obviously meaning the man that attacked her, "I don't think I-I'm ready to l-l-leave home just yet."  
That melancholic look returned to her face and my heart ached for her. She was going back to the same thing she always did, just like I always would. Regardless of my sentiments, I agreed with Naruto to help her get back to the wall. She was gifting us a hefty amount for helping her so it'd be stupid, not to mention poor manners, not to assist. After replacing her hood onto her head so she wouldn't be noticed, Naruto and I guided her through the dark alleys for what felt like hours.

You could tell when we were leaving the ghetto area and by the quality of the houses we were passing and the sounds of fighting getting quieter and quieter as we walked. Any time a member of the militia was near, we'd rush into the closest alley or shadow to hide. By the time we'd finally reached the wall, we were all three out of breath and it was nearly morning. Naruto and I did live a few miles from the wall so it took a long time to get there. Hinata must've either left very early in the day or had help getting to where she was when we found her.

We didn't ask her or even talk much as we traveled in fear that the militia would hear us and come to inspect. Naruto lay a hand on the brightly colored wall with a wistful look before glancing over at Hinata and I. Hinata held his gaze for a moment before letting a sad look fill her features if only for a moment before bowing to us again, "T-Thank you again for all of your help. I won't forget this, Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki." With that, she turned and started walking the length of the wall towards the gate that was a few minutes away.

We watched her walk away in silence until her small form could no longer be seen in the shadows. Naruto let out a sigh, "Man, she was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." We started the long walk back towards our homes. I let out a laugh, "Even more than Ino?" His face was still red. He walked with his hands laced behind his head and his eyes up on the bright moon in the sky, "Even more than Ino."

My laughing stopped and I looked at him with a small frown. I felt sorry for him. He was obviously smitten with her, but there was no way they could be together. Even if she did return his feelings, they were from two very different classes and everyone knew that it was forbidden to jump classes like that. A lower class could marry a middle class and a middle class could marry a high class, but a high class could never marry a lower class. It was unheard of.

I felt the weight of the coins I'd been given slapping against my leg as we walked and lay a hand over the cloth that held it. Hinata wasn't like the other nobles I'd met. She had a kind heart. I sighed and quickened my pace so I'd be able to get an hour or two of sleep before Mom would force me out of bed.

* * *

The next morning, I was awoken by a shrill shriek. I shot out of bed and sprinted out of my room with a broom in my hand ready to hit whatever was attacking. The broom dropped from my hand and it's clatter on the floor rang through my ears like an echo. Our home was demolished. Every piece of furniture was smashed to pieces. Each appliance was destroyed and the refrigerator and cabinets had been ransacked.

Ino and Mom were standing in the kitchen with tears in their eyes. We'd been robbed. With a gasp, I ran to my bedroom and threw open the lid of the trunk at the end of my bed. The money was gone! Whoever had done this had done it in the length of an hour or two and had done it so skillfully and silently that none of us had been woken up. Had the man I'd chased off of Hinata followed me home? It had to be the doing of more than one person, though.

Tears fell from my eyes and I fell to my knees. I looked up at the ceiling and imagined looking through it and up into the heavens to fall upon God's face. Was this his way of punishing me for actually standing up and acting last night? A broken question left my lips, "Why?"

"My fabric is missing!" Ino's yell from her work room just weighed even further on my heart. I couldn't stay there any longer and quickly climbed out of my bedroom window, falling hastily to my knees on the mud that lay on the ground. After shakily rising to my feet, I started sprinting in a random direction and didn't stop until I hit something hard. Breathless, starving, and in hysterics, I didn't even get back up when I was knocked back onto my bottom. A rough hand wrapped completely around my arm and yanked me to my feet.

The air was knocked out of me and I finally looked up to see that the hard thing I'd run into was none other than a member of the militia, surrounded by three of his co-militants. Hostility filled my every vessel and I tried to yank my arm free, only further bruising it in the man's tight grip. These men were supposed to prevent things like what happened at my house from happening, but all they really did was beat up people who spoke out against the Uchihas and steal any bit of wealth from the poor.  
That though stuck in my brain and I couldn't stop my anger from lifting my hands and shoving against the now bewildered man. "Do you realize you've just assaulted a member of the militia? What do you have to say for yourself?" His voice was deep and booming, but did little to stifle my hysteria. "Screw you and screw the Uchihas!" The words slipped past my lips before I could stop them.

I was thrown to the ground. The four men stood over me with obvious intent to intimidate. Without a care in the world, I climbed to my knees and pointed at the man who'd thrown me, "You are all so greedy! You don't care about us! You and the Uchihas should just go die!" There was a silence before I was slammed against the ground, arms behind my back, "You're under arrest for threatening the life of militia officers and the royal Uchiha family!"

Wait, what?


	2. Chapter 2

Yet another sigh slipped past my lips as I impatiently waited for my trial. The two guards that were watching me showed no signs of hearing that sigh or one of the other dozen I'd let out. For the first time in my life, I'm behind the famous wall. I'd honestly hoped it'd be under better conditions. Maybe I'd work hard for a most of my years and finally be able to retire behind the walls in a high class society. I hadn't ever imagined it would be with shackles weighing my wrists and ankles down for an accidental death threat towards the royal family. Mom had always said my mouth would be what did me in.

Ideas on how to talk my way out of this were flying through my head, but I figured the right one would appear when the time was right. I've always been good at getting myself out of punishment if it isn't my mom giving it out. When I was in school, I cut Ino's hair while she wasn't paying attention and convinced the teacher that she'd done it herself even though many others had seen me do it. A bittersweet smile graced my lips at the memory.

Ino and I have always fought like cats and dogs, but we've always been closer than two peas in a pod. That's what happens when you're twins with nearly no other friends. I didn't make many female friends growing up because I was too much of a tomboy for them and Ino didn't make many because all the boys always loved her and the other girls didn't like that. Naruto had been one of those boys and still is. I wonder if he'll finally give up since he now knows that Ino isn't the only beautiful girl the world has to offer.

We've been standing outside a large golden door that apparently leads to the trial room. The castle we are in is a mere stone compared to the diamond that's the Uchiha castle, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have the most elegant interior that I've ever seen. The floor and walls are made of what looks like pearl, with the trim and doors being at least coated in gold. Even with all of the brightness, the halls and rooms seem dark. There's an air of unease throughout the castle, as if all of its inhabitants have a dark secret weighing down their atmosphere.

With a loud rumble, the double doors finally slid open and I was shoved forward by my two guards. I stumbled forward, the shackles on my ankles making it hard to walk. There were hushed voices erupting all around me. I looked up to see the room was actually quite crowded. One either side of the small aisle I was stumbling down, dozens of onlookers were seated with unhindered looks of disgust on their faces as they studied my dirty dress and messy hair.

I kept my gaze as steady as possible facing the three thrones at the head of the room. Each of the seats were empty, but decorated with useless expensive jewels. A handful of "honored" guests sat to the left of the thrones, clothing, hair, and makeup all unnecessarily fancy for a simple hearing. The only other door in the room was to the right of the thrones and it opened up as soon as the guards and I reached the front of the room.

Three people walked haughtily out of the room and ceremoniously strode over to their respective thrones before pausing to gauge the room and finally sitting. These weren't the Uchihas. These were the Uchihas' carefully selected judges. They came from three noble families, but I couldn't remember their names.  
"State your name and your crime." The stoic man in the middle, larger, throne spoke in a cold voice. My previous ease on the subject of talking my way out of this flew out the window. This man made me uncomfortable. He didn't seem to be much older than me, but he seemed to be aged beyond his years with sheer seriousness alone.

One of the guards behind me nudged my shoulder to try and get me to answer, but the force of his hit threw me to the ground. I hadn't eaten in two days and I was really starting to feel it. "S-Sakura Haruno and I committed no crime!" The guard that had pushed me gave me a kick to the side, sending me into a hunched ball to try and soften the hot pain that erupted in my torso as a result.

"The wench threatened the royal family and guards with death." I simply stayed down where I was. I didn't have the energy to care how long I'd be imprisoned. At least I'd be fed with a roof over my head.

"These accusations have a penalty of death. The royal family holds no leniency for treason. What do you have to say in your defense, Sakura Haruno?"  
My eyes shot open and I struggled to my feet, failing and only being able to get to my knees, "I didn't do it, sir! I-I did say something terrible in a fit of hysteria, b-b-b-but it was by no means to be taken as a serious threat to the crown!" Tears were filling my eyes. I couldn't die yet!

There were so many things I'd yet to accomplish. The man leaned forward in his chair, "So you did utter negative words against the Uchiha name? Out of hysteria or not?" My heart dropped. They wouldn't even pardon a purely vocal tantrum? I couldn't reply. My life was flashing before my eyes and I just knew that I would be executed for my accidental crime.

The whispering in the room got louder suddenly and I glanced up to see a familiar figure striding nervously across the floor from the group of honored guests. Hinata was interrupting the trial. A sliver of hope rose in my throat and I struggled again to get to my feet, this time succeeding. She leaned down to whisper into the cold man's ear for a few moments, only for his eyes to widen and turn back to look at me with what looked like a new light. "Sakura Haruno will be pardoned of death penalty. Instead, I sentence her to three months of service to the noble and royal families, to be carried out immediately."

The room busted into cries of anger and disagreement as I was pulled by my arms past the thrones and through the door the three judges had come from. We were followed by the judges and Hinata. The room got significantly quieter as the door shut behind them. Once my shackles were removed, Hinata sent away the guards and held my hands in her own, "S-Sakura, I am so sorry that I couldn't get you completely free!" I was overcome with shock and tears fell from my eyes, "No! I can't thank you enough for helping me, Hinata!"

I bowed my head in respect to her and the others that were silently watching us. The man that had sentenced me stepped forward and ripped my hands from Hinata's, "I am Neji Hyuuga, primary judge of all legal courts and future head of the Hyuuga household. Do not think you are a friend to Hinata. I let you live per request of a noble and nothing more. You will be a slave for the next 90 days and you should act as such." Hinata looked at the ground sadly, but I couldn't blame her for her family member's coldness.

She'd saved my life and I'd forever be in her debt. The other two judges didn't speak, but looked on with those empty, rich, eyes as Neji led me out of the room and through many hallways until we arrived at an exit where we then boarded a horse-drawn carriage. We could've easily used a vehicle, but it seemed the nobles preferred to do everything in the most unnecessary way, be it travel or dressing.

We rode in silence for nearly an hour. He and Hinata sat on the cushioned seats while I sat on the floor in a weak heap. Will this be like Cinderella where a prince will eventually save me? I shook my head. That's something Ino would think at a time like this. I would do my time to the best of my ability, learning as much about the higher-class as I could so it would be easier for me to fit in when I eventually make it.

When the carriage came to a stop, I was pulled out of the carriage by two guards. When I looked up, I nearly fainted at the sight before me. The Uchiha castle lay before me in all of its glory. I had never noticed before because the wall was too high, but the whole place was surrounded by forest as far as the eye could see. No wonder it took us so long to arrive. It was even more breathtaking up close. The stone that had appeared light from the distance was actually a shiny black.

It struck me as funny how they hid all of this darkness behind such a colorful wall. A cold sweat was forming on my forehead as I weakly struggled to walk tall. The two guards that were meant to control me if I had an outburst were actually helping me stay upright. The sun was high in the sky, meaning it was nearly noon. The day had been so long so far.  
The sky disappeared as I was pretty much dragged through a side door of the palace and led through hallway after hallway until we finally stopped in a large family room. I then realized that Hinata and Neji were no longer with us and I was alone with complete strangers. Showy couches and décor lay in the room with an oversized fireplace as the centerpiece to the giant room. A gigantic portrait of six dark-haired people was hung proudly over it.

I closed my eyes as we stood there waiting for something to happen. My ears were ringing and it felt as though my stomach was caving in on itself. My head lolled from side to side as I fought unconsciousness. Heeled footsteps against the linoleum floor pulled my attention from my condition and my eyes opened.

The most beautiful woman I'd ever seen was walking towards us. She had a perfectly curvy body with pale skin and healthy black hair. Her blood red lips were parted in a blinding smile as she approached us, "Hello! Welcome to the Uchiha Palace. My name is Mikoto Uchiha. You must be Sakura Haruno. I'm very pleased to meet you!" Her bottom of her black evening gown pulled behind her like the train of a wedding day veil as she approached. Mikoto's voice was mature and warm. The guards released my arms and almost instantly I fell to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

When I woke back up, I was laying on something incredibly comfortable, like a cloud or a mound of cotton. I heard an angry male voice speaking in a hushed tone with somebody, "How dare they send us an ill servant! I will have to speak with Hiashi about Neji's decision-making." Mikoto's voice replied, bringing me back to reality, "Now, darling, please be calm. She looks positively famished. I'm sure she'll be a great member of our household once she's been fed and washed up. Let's give her a chance before doing anything hasty."

There was a pause so long that I even opened my eyes to look over at their shadows on the floor by the bed I lay on. "Very well, but she's to be Sasuke and Sai's servant. I don't want her near Madara." There was the unfamiliar sound of the two sharing a kiss before Mikoto came into view with a brilliant smile on her lips as she lay eyes on me, "Oh! Sakura, dear, you're awake! How are you feeling? Are you particularly hungry? I can sense that you haven't eaten in a while. Let's get you washed up and then we'll have lunch." I couldn't find any words to reply with so I just let her lead me to the colossal bathroom that was nearby. She motioned for me to get undressed as she filled the giant tub with hot water and soap, "Come, dear. Don't be shy."

It was normal for women to shower and bath together so it didn't seem too odd to me for her to be in the room while I bath. In fact, I almost expected it. I was a stranger in her home and it would be unreal to assume she'd leave me alone in a room so soon. I gingerly removed my clothing, my dirty clothes falling sadly to the floor as if they didn't have any life left in them. She turned back to face me with a look of delight, "Oh my! You are quite beautiful, Sakura! You'll make someone very happy someday." I wrapped my arms around my torso awkwardly with a red face.

She didn't mention the bruises that dusted my skin here and there as a result of the past few days' events. I slowly dipped a foot into the water as she held my hand for balance. The water was steaming hot and seemed to melt away the tenseness of my muscles. Once I was fully seated in the tub, Mikoto helped me wash my skin and hair, chatting away as if we were closer than we were, "I'm very excited for you to join us for lunch, dear. I'm the only female in the whole palace so it will be nice to have another feminine presence. Do you like flowers? I have a garden in the courtyard. You're welcome to join me in tending to it should you have any extra time. You'll be helping out my two boys while you're here, Sai and Sasuke. They're both nineteen. Ah!"

She touched her cheek dramatically, "I can't believe my babies are so old! Do you see any wrinkles yet?" I simply shook my head, my whole being on autopilot as I tried to wrap my head around what was happening. She truly didn't have a single wrinkle. If she had children that old, she had to be at least close to forty years old, yet she didn't look a day over twenty-five. She continued talking as she massaged shampoo into my hair, "My Sai is such a sweet boy. You'll get along with him just fine. Sasuke is a bit of a grouch, but don't let it bother you, dear. He's harmless." I wondered what her offspring must look like. Surely they were handsome, if her looks were any hint to theirs.

Soon I was as clean as I'd ever been and was helped into a beautiful black dress that looked like a smaller version of Mikoto's. It was very tight with the back cut low and a small train following my steps. I wanted to ask if I really had to wear something so uncomfortable even though I was a servant, but felt that it would be received as ungrateful so I chose to keep my lips sealed. After spritzing me with an expensive smelling perfume and applying a small amount of makeup to my face, Mikoto finally led me out of the room, down a winding staircase and through a few halls until we finally arrived in an extravagant dining hall.

A positively enormous table sat with mountains of food lining it and more than twenty chairs sitting mostly empty, save for five chairs at one end of the table. We approached what I assumed was the remainder of the Uchiha's main family. At the head of the table was a burly man with a set frown on his mouth and a look of disgust on his face as he looked up over at me. He was obviously the man I'd heard talking with Mikoto, her husband.

To his left sat a younger man, looking to be about thirty, with hair longer than even Mikoto's, yet his was a thick curly mess instead of polished. He gave me a small smile as a greeting. Across from him was an empty chair that could only be Mikoto's seat. Next to the empty seat was who I guessed was one of her sons, but his back was turned so I couldn't see his face. All I could see was messy black hair and broad shoulders. Across from him sat a pale young man with blank eyes, a blank smile, and straight black hair. There was a lot of black in this house, be it hair, eyes, clothing, or décor. It almost came off as gothic.

"Sasuke, sweetie, do you mind moving over a seat so our new guest can sit next to me?" The boy that I couldn't see turned around and it was as if the air left my body. He was devastatingly beautiful. His jawline was sharp, skin clear, eyes dark, and lips pulled down into a cold scowl. Where his brother who sat across from him lacked emotions on his features, he practically bled them and they were all negative. I could feel the heat of his loathing from where I stood, but he did the unexpected and obliged his mother's request without complaint.

When he stood to move, he towered over both Mikoto and I. He had to be at least six foot five. Once he was reseated, Mikoto had me sit in the chair next to him before seating herself on my other side, next to her husband. "Everyone, please introduce yourselves to our guest, Sakura Haruno. She will be with us for 90 days." The head of the table spoke in a short, gruff voice, "I am Fugaku, Head of the Uchiha household and ruler of Konoha." I bowed my head at him respectfully, aware that I was under scrutiny at all times and by all angles.

The younger man beside him smiled easily, "My name is Madara Uchiha, younger brother to Fugaku. Pleased to meet you Miss Haruno." I felt more accepted by this Madara than any other male at the table. The straight faced brother in front of me kept his same blank smile, "I am Sai." His introduction was simple and to the point, but it was better than him insulting me, I suppose. I returned his tense smile with an uneasy one. Finally, I turned to my left to steal a glance at the large man that Mikoto had identified as Sasuke.

He glared down at me for a moment before suddenly standing up and leaving the room altogether. I quickly hung my head in fear that I'd done something to offend him, but Mikoto lay a hand softly on my shoulder, "Don't worry, dear. He'll come around." I watched as his dark form disappeared up the stairwell and felt something in my stomach sink.

I sure hoped so.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days were full of discomfort. Mikoto barely let me out of her sight and when she did one of the other Uchihas would be present. The only time I had to spend alone was at night when I would sit by the window and stare out at all of Konoha. The town looks so small from way up here. It's no wonder the Uchihas pay no mind to it.

I'd been given the grand tour of the palace once lunch was finished. My bedroom was the only one located on the third floor. Every one of the Uchihas were on the second floor: the two younger brothers on one side of the castle, Madara located in the middle, and the King and Queen at the far end. The stairwell was located right next to Madara's room. There was another room next door to his, but Mikoto had skipped over it and I had been too nervous to ask her about it.

I suspect it belongs to the sixth family member that's in the giant portrait above the fireplace. Will I meet him during my residency? I'd learned that Sai and Sasuke are my main focus, which is odd because I never see any maids or butlers other than myself. Does the royal family _really_ clean after themselves or was there someone I wasn't aware of?

Sai and Sasuke are just as different as Ino and I. Sai's just as bland as he is polite. He often attempts to converse with me while I clean his room and I reply to him when obligated, but ultimately feel awkward around him. He always asks questions about my life and upbringing, yet never offers any information about himself. I suppose that's to be expected since he _is_ a prince and I'm a servant. I _should_ feel privileged to even be in his presence, even if in reality I feel quite the opposite.

Sasuke isn't as cruel as I'd initially thought him, at least so far. In fact, I prefer his presence above anyone else's because _he leaves me the hell alone_! Even if the air is tense when I clean his room and he has literally never looked me in the eye, he doesn't pry into my personal life. The thing that I long for the most isn't to see my family, even though I miss Ino dearly. No, the thing I yearn for is simply to be alone and feel alone for more than a few hours at night.

Mikoto is a generous host who has shown me nothing except kindness, but the woman never stops talking! She must've been telling the truth when she'd mentioned wanting female companionship. It was as though she's had years of pent up stories to share and no one to share them with that would listen. I've learned more things about her children from her than from them. Both are apparently playboys, but keep their sexual exploits very private to the point that I haven't even noticed a single woman come in or out of the palace despite Mikoto's promise that there have even been a couple in the few days I'd been here. I guess the rumor that no one has seen the Uchihas for decades has officially been debunked!

This also doesn't surprise me, though. They _are_ royalty, and _attractive_ royalty at that. Ino would definitely jump at the chance to bed either of them. It took me a full day before I'd come to the realization that there were no guards throughout the palace. I could see them patrolling the courtyard from my window, but none entered the building with the purpose to guard. It almost seemed as though they wanted to be sure the Uchiha's didn't leave, but I'm sure that isn't the case.

The light from the candle on my bedside table suddenly went out when a strong gust of wind blew in from the open window. I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared up at the dark sky. The castle seemed more alive during the night than day. I was always the first to retire to my room. Mikoto had told me that after today I'd have my first day without her there to guide me. With nothing to do but garden once my orders for the day were finished, I often just sat here in the window and looked outside. I wasn't allowed outside alone.

I glanced around at my room. It's easily the least flashy room that I've been in throughout the castle, but it's still nicer than anything I've ever had or probably will ever have again. My bed has black silk sheets and down pillows. Many pieces of empty furniture decorate the room, but I don't have any of my personal belongings to fill them. I only have a few dresses that Mikoto gave me to use along with some new undergarments that she had had an unlucky guard go into town to pick up. Every piece of clothing is black. I feel as though the undergarments are borderline lingerie and much too mature for someone of my age and stature. Necessity forces me to wear them regardless.

There was suddenly a knock on my door. My eyes shot over to it. That had never happened. I soothed my black nightgown down as I tiptoed over to crack the door open only to be surprised by Madara's smiling face. He raised a hand in greeting. I opened my door just slightly more so he could see my bow, "Ah, what can I do for you, sir?" He gave a quiet chuckle before reaching out to grab each of my hands gently, "Please, Miss Haruno, call me Madara. I couldn't fall asleep tonight and wondered if you'd like to join me for a walk?"

I glanced back at my dark room. His hands were warm against my colder ones. I slid my door shut behind me quietly before walking side by side with him through the halls of the palace. "How are you settling in?" In all honesty, I felt more uncomfortable than anything. The only person I could talk to was Mikoto and even with her I had to think twice about what I'd say before saying it. Everyone else seemed to feel the same way towards me.

I glanced at Madara's smiling face. He seemed kind and sincere. With a boost of courage, I answered as honestly as I could without being insulting to his family, "I hope the princes warm up to my presence sooner rather than later." He let out another light chuckle, "There is a reason they treat you this way, Miss Haruno. Didn't you know?" I shook my head, but gave him a curious look as if to ask him to explain. He led me down to the second floor where we headed past his room, "The princes fell in love with their previous servant."

I was in disbelief, "Both of them? With the same girl?" He nodded and put a finger to his mouth, motioning to the princes in question's rooms that were further down the hall. I winced, not realizing my voice had risen, and nodded with a finger to my mouth to mimic his motion to be silent. He stopped in front of the door that Mikoto had skipped over during our tour, "This is Itachi's room." Itachi? Is that the last family member in the portrait?

He leaned against the door with his hands in his pockets and a sad look on his face. He looked near tears when I gained the courage to lay a hand softly on his arm. Did Itachi die or something? Madara looked so grieved. The man in question lay a hand gently on top of mine and offered me a small smile, "Don't worry about me, Miss Haruno. I simply wished to give you a warning." His smile vanished and was replaced with a serious frown, "Itachi violated and murdered the previous servant girl."

Fear rocked through my veins and I froze in disbelief. He did what? Madara pulled my hand from his arm and held it firmly in between his two bigger ones, "Itachi is returning home tomorrow from a trip Mikoto had sent him on. With him being an Uchiha, his crimes were concealed from the public and the girl's family hushed with money. Please, Miss Haruno, promise me you'll come to me if he approaches you in private. I wish nothing more than to keep you safe." My heart beat quickened at his kind words. His face was serious in a way I'd never seen a man look. Unable to find words, I nodded in reply and allowed him to lead me back to my room.

Once we arrived, he knelt down to place a chaste kiss on my hand, "Good night, Miss Haruno. Remember your promise when tomorrow comes." I shyly pulled my hand away from him and nodded with a red face. He was too kind.

Come morning, I woke up an hour earlier than usual. Nightmares of this Itachi plagued my dreams. I have never had sex with anyone and the mere thought of someone stealing something as precious as a girl's virginity felt taboo. I felt more annoyed than anything. Being in this damned palace had me acting like someone else. Did I really have a choice other than to adjust myself according to my setting? I just need to survive the next three months and then I'd be free to return to my life in the lower-class.

With a new determination to just do my job and make it through my sentence, I got dressed and headed downstairs to start my chores early. The halls were dimly lit with the light of sunrise. I hummed a light tune to amuse myself as I swept and mopped the long hallway. A door opening pulled me from my trance and I turned to greet whichever brother was leaving their room, only to be faced with a red-headed female stranger.

She was obviously of high-class, but the red on her cheeks told me that she didn't expect to be caught leaving Sasuke's room. I bowed respectfully to her, despite her obvious annoyance. She huffed and stomped past me and towards the staircase to leave the palace before anyone else could spot her. With a sigh, I finished up mopping and headed towards Sasuke's room to collect his clothing from yesterday for cleaning.

When I stepped into the room, he was sitting up in bed with no shirt on and a comforter draped over the bottom half of his body. There was a book in his hands that he looked away from momentarily to shoot me an annoyed glare. I bowed before beginning to pick up his messy room. Each morning his room would be in disarray. How could a grown man be so bad at picking up after himself?

As I got closer to his bed, I was hyper aware of his nakedness. It was unclear if he was wearing any bottoms because of the blanket, but his bare torso was hard enough to ignore. Toned muscles glared openly at me. I couldn't even lie to myself. He was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. It was too bad he hated me. With a frown, I tore my gaze away from his toned body and leaned down to grab a discarded item of clothing, only to jump in shock as I realized I was holding the redhead's forgotten underwear.

My face heated up and the unfamiliar sound of Sasuke chuckling met my ears. I glanced at him in surprise and he had a small smirk on his lips as he purposely kept his gaze on his book. A glare slipped onto my face before I could control it and I snatched the lacy panties back up before continuing my chores. The next few moments were silent until I was about to leave the room, when Sasuke suddenly blocked the door I was headed towards. He was wearing a simple pair of black trousers, thank God.

I dropped the armful of clothing I was carrying in shock and a small squeal of surprise slipped past my lips. With a hand to my heart, I took a calming breath before leaning down to regain the items I'd dropped, "Do you need something, sir?" Despite his face still holding an expression of distaste towards me, his words were spoken precisely, "Stay away from Itachi." Without giving me a chance to respond, he stepped to the side and opened the door for me to exit his room. I did so with no complaints. Sasuke was by far the most intimidating member of the family, even more so than the king himself, to me anyway.

Once his clothes were in the washing machine, I headed up to Sai's room only to catch him on his way out. "Ah! Hello Sakura. How are you today? Are you sleeping any better?" I paused mid-bow. I hadn't mentioned that I hadn't slept well. Did I have dark circles under my eyes that gave me away? Regardless of how he received his information, I replied, "I'm just fine, sir. Do you have any special requests for me to attend to today?" I hated being so damn formal all the time, but I was literally serving the royal family. If I acted casual around them they'd probably react badly. He smiled that same blank smile at me and said in a matter-of-factly voice, "Come get me if Itachi approaches you while you're alone."

My fear of this Itachi character was growing more and more as the day progressed. Every member of the Uchiha family that I talked to today warned me to avoid him. I simply nodded and waited politely for him to leave the area before entering his room to do my daily chores. Once I was finished cleaning, ironing, and placing the boys' clothing on hangers, I headed back upstairs to place them in their respective rooms. As I was hanging up Sasuke's trousers in his closet, a voice sounded softly from behind me, "Excuse me, miss?" I jumped and turned to see a very attractive man standing a yard or so away with his hands behind his back. His eyes were a dark red with black dots dancing around in them and that alone had me frozen in fear.

This was Itachi. Sasuke was no where in sight and I had no clue where he or Sai had gone. His black hair was tied back in a neat yet loose ponytail and his face was serious as he studied me. I greeted him shakily, "H-Hello, sir. You must be Itachi. It's a p-pleasure to meet you." I was shaking in my hypothetical boots. Would he kidnap me here and now and take me away to violate and murder me like he did the other girl? Tears filled my eyes and I fought to pull them back before he could notice, but it was all in vain.

"Please do not be frightened. I have no intent to harm you." Of course a murderer would try to convince his possible prey to trust him. I'm no fool and I won't be falling for it. With my best foot forward, I forced back my tears and nodded, "O-Of course, sir." He stared at me with those calculating eyes for a silent moment before releasing me from their hold and glancing around the room, "Do you know where my brothers are?" I shook my head and finished hanging up Sasuke's clothes, gathering Sai's from the bed to take to his room, "No, sorry."

Itachi stared at me again for a moment before silently turning on his heel and leaving the room. Relief rolled over me and it were as if I could breath again. I'd survived my first encounter with the famed Itachi. That night, well after I'd had my bath and could be found sitting in my favorite spot at the window, there was a soft knock at my door. Would this become a habit?

It's the middle of the night, yet this is the second evening in a row that I had a visitor. I padded my way to the door to find that it was Madara visiting again. He greeted me with a kind smile, "Good evening, Miss Sakura. How was your day?" I returned his smile, "Fine, thank you. What can I do for you?" He answered without hesitation, "I don't want to lie to you, Miss Sakura. I wish to learn more about you." My face heated up just slightly.

How did he say such embarrassing things with a straight face? He spoke like he was from a different era and it gave him a certain prince-like quality that made sense given his status. Even if Madara was a very attractive man that had done nothing to make me feel as if he has ill-intentions, it would be stupid for me to not consider it odd for a grown man wanting to hang out with a seventeen year old girl. I reluctantly allowed him to lead me out of my room and towards the family room.

He made us both some tea and we sat on the soft rug in front of the fireplace. "Tell me, Miss Haruno. Is it alright for me to call you by just your first name?" I nodded politely as I sipped my hot tea. The sweet liquid warmed my body as it flowed down my throat. Almost immediately I felt dizzy with heat. "Sakura, have you heard anything from your family since your arrival?" I shook my head slowly.

Everything was moving in slow motion. Did he put something in my tea? "I'm sorry..um..I feel a little dizzy. Maybe I should-!" When I looked back up all I could see were red eyes with little dots swirling around in them. I couldn't pull my eyes away and found myself dropping my tea cup. As it clattered to the floor, the hot liquid left inside burned my lap through my gown, but I still couldn't move to tend to it. It was as though I was being hypnotized. Fear froze my muscles as the eyes came closer to me. These eyes were the same as those Itachi had.

Had Itachi made his move so quickly after returning? Where was Madara? I felt my body being lifted bridal style, but still could only see those red irises. Mere minutes later I felt a hard surface under me and realized I was being laid down on the ground. A whisper as soft as the breeze blowing in from an open window somewhere in the castle spoke the words, "Close your eyes and stay silent." My body did as told without my consent. My inner consciousness fought and fought against the order, but to no avail. I don't even have the power to feel the panic that I should. Fingers roughly pushed my head to the side and there was a sharp sting on my neck before everything stopped.

Someone rubbed my shoulder roughly to try and wake me and my eyes shot open in shock. It was morning. I was laying on the floor in the hallway where the Uchihas' bedrooms were located. My mind was still foggy as I finally lay eyes on whoever was shaking me. It was Sasuke. There was a clear look of panic in his eyes as he spoke, but I couldn't hear the words he was saying. The emotion looked very out of place on his usually broody features.

He seemed to be struggling to look at me so I looked down to see that my dress was torn to pieces, leaving my undergarments almost completely visible. That wasn't what had me shooting up and screaming in terror. There was dried blood on my neck, shoulder, arm, and torso. My shrill scream finally broke whatever barrier that was blocking my hearing and Sasuke's words met my ears.

His deep voice was the opposite of what I'd heard in it before. He sounded concerned, "Stop! Stop! Stop yelling! What happened to you?" Tears rolled down my cheeks as I glanced around at the floor around me. There was a small puddle of blood on the ground where I had been laying. When it was clear that I was in too much shock to respond, Sasuke placed a hand over my mouth and pulled me to my feet by my arm. His hands were rough and strong against my cold skin.

A wave of dizziness rolled over me and I knew I was about to throw up so I shoved him away and rushed into the only open room in the area, Sasuke's. Just in time, I made it into his en suite to vomit into the toilet. I didn't realize he'd followed me until I finally stopped emptying my stomach and fell exhausted onto the cold linoleum floor. He reached over me to flush the toilet before starting to run a bath. While it filled, I lulled between consciousness and unconsciousness. A sheen of cold-sweat coated my skin and my labored breath left a little fog circle on the floor under my head.

I felt Sasuke remove the remainder of my ruined dress with ease before he rolled me onto my back and lifted me up to a sitting position, "Sakura listen to me. Who did this to you?" Through my dizziness I tried to think back to what had happened last night, but all I could picture were those red eyes. Had it been Itachi? I could only make out the word, "Red, " before falling completely out of consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Dreams of blood and tattered clothing plagued my sleep to the point that I woke up in a cold sweat panic. I was in my own room all by myself. What happened to Sasuke? Was he angry that I'd vomited in front of him? My cheeks heated up in embarrassment. Of course I'd make a fool of myself in front of a gorgeous guy like him. They quickly cooled back down as I thought about why I'd been panicking to begin with.

What really happened last night? By the look of the sky outside my window it was nearly nighttime, so I'd slept all day long yet still felt drained. Was it because of the blood loss? My hand shot to my throat to search for the source of the blood, but only felt smooth skin. Was it someone else's blood then? I shook my head to myself and ran a shaky hand through my damp hair.

No. I had a strong inkling that it was my blood. The memory of those red eyes ran shivers through my spine. They'd all warned me about Itachi and they were all right. He'd been back not one day and I'd been attacked.

I crawled over to sit in my window sill, the only place that helped me feel calm in this crazy place. What had happened to Madara? Why hadn't he protected me from Itachi like he'd insinuated he would? My eyes started to droop with exhaustion once again as I looked at the twinkling lights of the city in the far distance. They looked like Christmas lights from this distance. I'd have to just ask Madara tomorrow after dinner about what had happened. Maybe it was all just a dream...

Despite my confusion about what had happened, I woke in the morning and began my chores as usual. Once I'd dressed, I headed downstairs to collect any laundry that may need done. As soon as I knocked on Sasuke's door, it swung open and the mysterious young man towered over me with his usual brooding expression. "Good morning, sir. Did you sleep well?" There was a pause as the attractive prince looked over me as though it were his first time ever actually noticing me.

My face started to heat up just as his gaze swept back up to my face, "Yes." He stepped aside so I could enter his room. To my surprise, it was almost as clean as I'd left it. His room was always trashed when I stopped by. What had changed? Was it because of what had happened yesterday?

The blood left my face as dread slipped over me. Was he angry at me? Had he cleaned up a bit so I wouldn't be in his room as long, therefore I wouldn't be bothering him as much? I turned on my heel to face him, "Oh! I just wanted to apologize for...you know..what happened," I leaned forward into a bow, but he cut me off, "I don't know what you're talking about, " and he walked past me to lounge on his bed and stuff his face into a book. The sheer speed of his reply had me believing that he did, in fact, know what I was referring to, but I didn't push the subject.

Mikoto had warned me that he could be short tempered and I didn't intend to witness that first hand. I rose back up and gave a nod, beginning my work for the day. I finished much quicker than usual and hurriedly headed to leave the room with an armful of clothing. Sasuke's deep voice stopped me in my tracks, "Come back to my room this evening after dinner." It wasn't a request, but an order. My face felt as though it had paled and turned blood red all at once. I turned to look at him, but he remained reclining on his bed with his face in a book, paying me and my panic no mind.

Awkwardly, I exited his room and shut the door behind me. He wouldn't expect me to have sex with him, would he? Of course I don't want to, but I'd be punished if I refused. For the rest of the day, I couldn't take my mind off Sasuke. My anxiety over what he wanted after dinner helped distract me from whatever had happened yesterday. Once we were all seated at the dinner table, I poked at my steak with my fork.

I'd learned that Mikoto and Fugaku cooked all meals and quite enjoyed doing so to the point that they didn't have any kitchen help. That fact helped humanize them slightly from the untouchable way they came across. It was undoubtedly obvious that the two were very much in love. Fugaku was a fierce and stern man with a soft spot only for his wife. Mikoto knew about that soft spot and often took advantage of it to get what she wanted, but you could tell that she appreciated everything he did for her. I absentmindedly stared as they shared a loving look as Madara complimented their cooking, before returning my gaze to my barely-touched plate.

"Sakura, dear, is there something wrong with your food?" I jumped as I was pulled from my daze by Mikoto's motherly voice. Everyone was staring at me, minus Sasuke and Itachi. I shook my head quickly, "No, ma'am. I seem to have lost my appetite. My apologies." Fugaku glared at me as Mikoto put a soft hand against my forehead, "Oh, dear. I hope you're not getting sick. Why don't you head to bed early and I'll wrap your food so you can eat it later."

I nodded and gave her a small smile in thanks before quietly leaving the table and heading towards the staircase. I could feel six pairs of eyes burning a hole into my back as I retreated. I could feel one pair in particular burning harder than the rest and that pair would belong to Sasuke. Instead of laying in bed as Mikoto had requested, I opted to prepare a hot bath to soothe my muscles.

After stripping my body of every piece of clothing and starting the bath, I looked at my reflection in the large mirror beside the towel cabinet. The once dark bruises that had littered my body were now a faint yellow that was on the edge of blending into my lightly tanned skin. It'd been six days since I'd arrived at the Uchiha Castle and I already could barely recognize my own reflection. My skin, once in a constant state of uncleanliness, was clear and smooth. My once dark green eyes seemed many shade lighter than I remember. Was it the lighting that made them seem different?

Everything else on my body seemed normal. My breasts were still below average in size and my torso and legs were the same. My gaze drifted to my neck. Not a single mark marred the clear skin. Had everything really been a dream? The memory of those spinning red eyes had goose bumps showing up on my body. With a shake of my head, I did my best to push all thoughts away and climbed into the bubble bath that I'd prepared.

After washing my body and hair, I relaxed and let the simmering water ease my aching muscles. Maybe Mikoto was I was sick and that whole incident was a lucid dream. Oh, crap! I'd forgotten to ask Madara about last night before leaving! I sank down lower until the water was nearly at my nose. This tub was like a miniature pool, deep enough that I could stand up straight in it and the water would still reach my shoulders.

"You don't follow directions well." My shriek was interrupted by water flowing into my mouth and I soon erupted into a fit of coughs. Through my struggle to breath, I glanced over to see Sasuke leaning against the towel closet with his arms crossed and an annoyed glare on his eyes. He didn't even have the decency to avert his gaze, looking straight at me. Thankfully, the bubbles in my bath hid my body from his view, but that didn't make the situation any more comfortable for me.

Once my airways were clear again, I sank down as low as I could in the water without going under, "Sasuke! W-What're you doing in here!" All of my fake manners left the room as my shock took over. The man stayed silent for a moment, content to just watch me struggle to reach my towel, which was a few feet away on top of the closed toilet lid, without showing my chest to him and failing. Anger was quickly overshadowing my embarrassment, "Get the hell out! Are you crazy?" His glare hardened and his arms uncrossed. I pulled my arm back under water and moved as far away from him as possible as he steadily approached the bath.

There was a sarcastic smirk on his lips as he rasped out in his deep voice, "Why, Miss Haruno, how did you develop such a sharp tongue so quickly?" He was mocking me. It was obvious that he knew I was very much a different person when he and his family weren't near. I tried to swallow the snarky reply that came out, but it was no use, "I don't expect someone like you to understand how I feel." Venom coated each of my words.

He and his family may be beautiful and kind to me, but they were responsible for the state of my town. Having an attractive appearance doesn't make up for the terrible things they let happen to good people. The man took his time processing my words, his black eyes searching mine. I couldn't help but admire the hard planes of his face. It was rare for him to look at me so directly.

Before I could react, he'd removed his shirt and was working on unbuttoning his pants. A squeal of surprise slipped through my lips and my face started heating up. I turned my head to the side and covered my face with my hands, "What are you doing!" I felt the water move with his obvious entrance to the bath. Was he completely nude? I dared to sneak a peek through my fingers.

Sasuke had both of his arms resting casually on the edge of the large bath and his eyes were focused on me. I reluctantly relaxed back down into the bath, everything but my head completely under the bubbles. For a few moments, we just stared at each other. The bath was just large enough that both of us could be inside without touching, but it would take little effort for him to corner me. My face was getting hotter and hotter under his ever-searching gaze. Before long, I was becoming light-headed with the mix of the hot water surrounding our bodies, his gaze, and the steam filling the air of the room. Just before I could think of a plan to escape this situation, his deep voice stole my focus, "Sakura, let's make a deal."

My lower abdomen tingled at the sound of my name so informal on his voice, but I hid my arousal easily and waited for him to continue. "You can drop the formal act if you agree to move into my bedroom." I forgot about my predicament momentarily and glared at him, "Why would I agree to that?" In a blink, he was directly in front of me his his hands on either side of my shoulders, locking me into place between him and the back of the bath. Our bodies didn't touch, but just the thought of how close they were had me going mad with embarrassment. I've never been close to a man like this.

His smirk was gone and his usual moody scowl was present, "Your bedroom door has no lock." The blood drained from my face and I thought about it. So what I thought was a lucid dream actually happened? I searched his gaze for any hint of ill-intent and found nothing out of the ordinary. I could sense his annoyance with me, but I could tell he didn't want to hurt me. The question that remains is why would he care whether or not Itachi gets to me?

With a sigh, I realized what was really going on. Sasuke and Sai had both been in love with the previous housekeeper and Itachi had raped and murdered her. The guilt of that must be controlling his actions. He must think that protecting me will make up for him not protecting her. Who was she anyway? She couldn't have meant that much to either of them if they both went right back to sleeping with a different girl every other night.

Despite their playboy tendencies, they'd both shown signs of authentic caring towards my well-being and that alone had me silently nodding in agreement to the dark man's proposal. His breath was cool on my face despite the heat of the room and there was a long pause before either of us moved again. I was physically shaking with nerves. I'd yet to even kiss a man, much less be in a bathtub naked with one. He moved back to his side of the bath wordlessly, eyes never leaving mine, "I will gather your items and move them while you finish bathing." Without any notice, he stood up.

Another squeal left my lips and I hurried to bury my face in my hands to avoid seeing any body parts I didn't want to, "My god, Sasuke! Give me a warning!" I heard his deep snicker before the sounds of him drying, redressing, and leaving the bathroom. I peeked through my fingers just to be sure he was really gone. Once I was sure I was alone. I sank underwater and let out a frustrated scream that was muffled by the bubbles. I arrived in front of Sasuke's room in a fluffy black bathrobe and a red face.

After pacing back and forth a few times to try and handle my anxiety, I finally brewed up the courage to knock on the black door. A few moments passed before the door opened up and a shirtless Sasuke was revealed. After just a moment in his presence, I could tell there was a difference in his being. He was no longer teasing me and was back to behaving how he normally would around me. I averted my eyes and stepped past him when he gestured to do so. He shut the door silently behind me, walking past me to return to his usual spot reclining on his bed with a book in hand.

I stood awkwardly for a moment before realizing that there was no second bed in this large room. "Um...Where will I sleep?" Without moving his gaze from the cover-less book he was reading, he spoke in his usual annoyed voice, "On the bed." A dirty thought of him pressing his body against my back in the night had my face heating even more, "I don't think so! I'll..." I looked around the over-sized room before noticing a small couch on the other side of his bed, "I'll sleep on the couch!" He looked away from his book to shoot me a glare, but didn't say anything as I retrieved my pillows and blankets from the small pile of items he'd taken from my room and headed over to the previously mentioned piece of furniture.

I arranged my pillow and blankets on the couch and sat down, letting my body be swallowed by the over-sized comforter as I glanced around the room. With a sigh, I glanced over to see that he, too, had a large window sill, but it was blocked partially by a dresser and covered with black curtains. Sadness bit at my heart as my one comfort in the palace was taken away in exchange for my safety. I continued taking in the room, noticing the small details that I hadn't noticed when I was cleaning before.

My eyes slid onto a large bookshelf, lined to the brim with book after book. Hope filled my body and I glanced over to see that Sasuke was watching me. With a red face, I motioned with my hand to the bookshelf, "May I?" He glanced over at the shelf in what seemed to be confusion before giving a curt nod and returning to his own book.

I unwrapped my body from my comforter and approached the large shelf slowly. I've never seen books of this quality or quantity in one spot before! After browsing for a few minutes, I selected one of the larger books that seemed to be more worn down than the others. That meant that Sasuke, or someone, had read it more than the others.

Perhaps if I read his favorite book, I'd be able to understand him a bit better. After I carefully pulled the book from it's place, I turned to return to my makeshift bed. Sasuke seemed to be making a point to not look at me, even going as far as to turning onto his side with his back facing me. I made a face at his back before re-wrapping myself in my blanket and crossing my legs before opening the book to page 1. Before I could even read the first sentence, his deep voice interrupted, "What is wrong with you?"

I glanced up from the page and nearly shrieked in surprise. He was crouched in front of me with a clear look of confusion on his features. Despite my discomfort, I replied, "What are you talking about?" He searched my face for a moment before quickly leaning forward and attempting to pull me towards him. Heat tinted my face red. Was he trying to kiss me?

I put my arms up to hold him at bay by his shoulders in panic, "What do you think you're doing!" He shook his head in disbelief and fell gently back onto his bottom, releasing his gentle grip on my cheek. "That's what I'm talking about." It took me a moment to realize what he meant and I regretfully admit to feeling slightly sorry for him. He wasn't used to a woman not throwing herself at him.

It was likely that he'd never run into a woman who would rather read a book than straddle him. Even if I felt sorry for him, I replied as honestly as I could without letting my emotions take over, "You've never met a woman who is from the low-class, have you?" His eyes continued searching my face for a moment before he rose to his feet and returned to his bed. I took that as a no.


	5. Chapter 5

Falling asleep on that first night in Sasuke's room was just as hard as I'd thought it would be. He didn't turn his lamp off until well past midnight and I found the light very hard to ignore. What made things worse was that every time I'd close my eyes, that pair of red eyes would show up in my mind and I'd be shocked back into opening them. By the time morning came, I'd only managed to get an hour or two of sleep.

The book that I'd decided to read left me puzzled. I'd only picked it because it was visibly more worn than the others, which meant that it had been read the most. The issue was that the book was written in extremely old English that made it hard to understand. I managed to understand the main topic and genre of the book, which was supernatural creatures and science fiction. Well, it was written as though it were non fiction, but seeing as the creatures that were mentioned are not real, it's fiction. There was a section on sirens, people who absorb sexual energy to survive. On top of that, there was even a section on vampires!

Now, like I mentioned, this book was the most used book in Sasuke's room which made me look at him in a new light. It kind of made him less intimidating since I now know that he takes an interest into fictional creatures. I scoffed to myself as I washed my face. No matter how un-intimidating he got, he'd still be a jerk. "What's so funny?" I looked past the soft towel in my hands to see the man in question glaring at me as he buttoned up his black shirt.

I averted my eyes from his chiseled chest and focused on brushing my hair, "Your bipolar disorder is giving me whiplash." I'd read that line in a young adult romance novel a few years back and pulled the line out of nowhere. It wasn't far from the truth, honestly.

One moment he's flirty and naked in my bath and the next he's annoyed by my mere presence. He glared at me for a moment more before leaving the room wordlessly. I glanced at the empty doorway before cleaning up the mess I'd made in his bathroom whilst getting ready for the day. I'd used a bit of the foundation make up Mikoto had gotten for me to cover the dark bags under my eyes from the lack of sleep. The last thing I needed was someone questioning why I didn't sleep much on my first night in Sasuke's room. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I was surprised to see Mikoto herself waiting for me calmly. She was dressed in another one of her extravagant Gothic dresses and looking as stunning as ever with a wide smile on her dark red lips, "Sakura, dear, you look exhausted! Don't tell me Sasuke managed to get you into his bed?"

My whole being heated up in embarrassment at her insinuation. I sputtered to correct her, "N-N-No, ma'am! I slept on the couch!" I gestured desperately towards the couch that still held my folded up comforter. She lay her eyes on the couch before shaking her head with that same smile, "Of course, dear. I know you're not that type of girl. I was only making a joke so as to tease you. I can see it worked!" She let out a small laugh as I tried to calm my nerves. I gave a small smile to ease the situation and fanned my face. Sasuke himself had already left the room so he couldn't add anything to the conversation. Mikoto motioned for me to follow her as she turned to leave the room.

I did as requested and trailed her steps as she spoke, moving her hands in elegant motions as she explained her plans for the weekend. "Sakura, you arriving at our palace has opened the eyes of Fugaku and Madara to a few issues within the kingdom. Your mannerisms, clothing, and overall appearance are something we hadn't ever experienced prior to your arrival and we all agree that that is an issue. As a result, we will be throwing the first ball to be held in the Uchiha Palace in three days, on Saturday. I was wondering, dear, if you would be willing to help me plan it?" That was a lot of information to take in. Was I really the reason they suddenly wanted to open their doors to the public?

I had barely spoken a word to Fugaku since my arrival, so it seemed as though this was one of those times that Mikoto wanted to do something and had used that special hold she has on his heart to pull some strings. This ball could lead to other things though! The Uchihas, in over fifty years, had never opened their doors to the public, much less hosted a party for them! Maybe this would be the shaky first step into taking action to clean the streets up and take care of the lower-class! I was immediately overcome with an eagerness to help her throw the most amazing ball ever.

I smiled excitedly, "Of course I'll help! I appreciate your asking me. I was wondering if maybe my family would be allowed to come and help as well? It would make it easier to finish in time and-" Mikoto put a soft hand on my arm to stop my oncoming babbles, "Of course, dear. I'll send for them as soon as we're finished with our conversation. You must be missing them. I was thinking this hall would be the perfect location for the party. What do you think?" I had been so caught up in the surprise of the situation that I hadn't realized she'd led me to a new part of the palace that I'd yet to visit. It was on the basement level of the castle, which I hadn't known existed until this point. One large stairwell led straight down into a colossal room with black pillars and floors.

My mouth hang open in awe. It were as though the ball that Cinderella had gone to had been painted black. I simply nodded my approval to her, which made her giggle girlishly. A part of me that I hadn't felt in a while suddenly arose. The girly one that couldn't help but picture herself dancing in an elegant gown with a man who wore a mask but was easily the most handsome in the room. She'd flirt all night, drinking expensive champagne and stealing the show, only to leave the man hanging so he could look for her after the party was over. I shook my head.

These days I seem to be getting more and more similar to Ino. "Of course, we'll have to lighten up the decorations. Not every family is as fond of black as we are, unfortunately." She shrugged as though she could barely fathom it before turning to me with her usual smile, "Well then, I'll let the boys know that you'll be unavailable for the next few days to take care of them so we can get this party planned! Meet me in the dining hall an hour after lunch and we'll begin." I nodded and watched her whisk away up the stairs to start preparing breakfast. I let out a soft sigh as I glanced over the room again.

Would I be on the guest list or would I be working the night of the ball? I walked slowly so I could gently feel the cold of one of the pillars against my palm. This would be the first time I'd see my family since we'd been broken into and I'd run away. Had they managed to fix up the house enough to still consider it home? Did they find a way to feed themselves while I was away?

With one last wistful glance around the ballroom, I turned to head back upstairs, only to come face to face with Madara. A small squeal of surprise slipped past my lips and I quickly put a hand over it, letting out an awkward laugh to cover up my embarrassment, "Madara! I didn't hear you come downstairs!" The dark haired man didn't offer me one of his usual smiles, instead he gently grabbed onto my hands and held them in between us, "Miss Sakura, allow me to apologize for my negligence the other evening. You were injured as a result of my carelessness." The terrorizing thoughts of what had happened rushed back into my head and I yanked my hands away in fear, taking a step back to put some distance between us, "Yes...I've been meaning to ask you what exactly happened."

I thought I saw a flash of something in his black eyes, but it was gone so quickly that I had to have imagined it. He shook his head and ran a hand restlessly through his wild hair, "It didn't occur to me that you may not remember everything, again, allow me to apologize. I had left for the kitchen to grab some towels to help you clean up your spilled tea and when I returned you were gone. I had searched for you for over an hour before assuming you didn't want to be found and heading to bed. I was distraught when I heard of your state upon being found in the morning."

I thought about his words for a moment. I did recall spilling my tea. Perhaps he was telling the truth. If I were to be honest, a wave of relief flowed through me when I realized that he really did have nothing to do with my assault. He was one of the members of the Uchiha family that I felt comfortable around and I'd like to keep it that way. I gingerly placed one of my hands on his and met his shocked face with a small smile, "I believe you, Madara. Please don't blame yourself for what happened. It's not like you knew he was going to attack me right then." A relieved smile graced his lips and he nodded with an eagerness similar to that of a puppy.

We walked side by side back up the stairs, talking about the ball, my moving into Sasuke's room, and how my family would be arriving soon. As soon as we arrived on the ground floor, we came face to face with the twins. The two seemed to be arguing about something, but both stopped talking as soon as we were close enough to hear. Madara smiled and I bowed, "Ah, Sasuke and Sai, nice to see you, nephews. Are you headed to breakfast as well?" Sai gave his usual masked grin, "Yes, Uncle. Shall we all walk together?" Madara gestured for him to lead the way and the two of them walked side by side ahead, leaving Sasuke and I to walk together.

I glanced at him and noticed that he looked particularly more annoyed than usual and was making his usual point to not look at me. I wouldn't let his negativity ruin my great mood and simply ignored him as we all continued towards the dining hall. Sai and Madara were speaking about god knows what, but what I found odd was how formal they were with each other. I mean, they were constantly around each other and were family. Even Fugaku, the king, doesn't talk to his family members with such formality. I shrugged it off as Sai just being his odd self and Madara humoring him.

We soon arrived in the dining hall and sat in our usual spots to have breakfast. Halfway through the meal, Mikoto leaned towards me slightly with a bright smile, "Your family will be arriving shortly, dear. I'm excited to meet the relatives of such a wonderful young lady." I gave her a close-lipped smile with a nod as I chewed my pancake. I was honestly horrified at the thought of the things my mother could say without realizing how rude she sounded.

I prayed that she would take her own advice towards me and just keep her mouth shut. Also, don't get me started on how worried I was that Ino would take one look at the twins and throw herself at them. Mikoto's smile widened, "Don't be anxious, Sakura. I'm sure they're not angry at you for your crime. They are family, after all." I glanced over to see her eye Itachi sharply, who seemed to be paying no attention to our conversation. It was clear, to me at least, that he was always aware of what was happening around him no matter how oblivious he seemed.

Madara cleared his throat loudly, obviously wanting to steer the topic away from Itachi, for which I was thankful, "So, Sakura, I hear that you also have a twin?" Sasuke and Sai both looked over at me with confusion etched clearly on their features. I nodded and shrugged, answering sheepishly, "Um, yes sir. Her name is Ino." Sai spoke up, which was odd for him at the table. He normally only spoke when spoken to, "Are you two identical like Sasuke and I?"

I felt uncomfortable with his tone for some reason. I shook my head, "No. We barely look related." Without vocalizing it, I disagreed with the end of his statement. He and Sasuke did have the same facial features, but it was obvious to anyone who was who. They styled their hair differently, Sasuke was obviously more muscular, and Sasuke was also slightly more tan. Mikoto let out a small laugh, "Well, I am sure she's a beauty like her sister." A small blush rose to my cheeks and I dipped my head in embarrassment.

Once we all finished our meal, I helped Mikoto clean up the mess and do the dishes as we waited for my family to arrive. I was positively shaking in excitement as the sound of footsteps approached the kitchen. When I turned to greet my family with a smile, I was greeted with Madara and Sai's guilty faces. My face fell as I realized they were just joining us for the wait instead of it being my family arriving. Madara grabbed a dry towel and started drying dishes and handing them to Sai to put away. With us all working as a team, the kitchen was clean and we moved to the family room to continue our waiting.

Mikoto had the boys bring out two giant totes full of party planning materials so we could get started. No sooner had we opened the first tote did two guards appear with my mother and sister in tow. The two were doing little to hide their awe as they glanced around the room. My mother's eyes finally landed on me as I rose to my feet to greet them and she pushed past the guards to approach me. I smiled at her, "Mom! I've misse-!"

A resounding slap echoed throughout the room. You could hear a pen drop in the silence that followed. My eyes stung as one of my hands shot up to touch the stinging skin on my cheek. I could've been executed and instead of greeting me with relief like a normal mother, she hits me in front of everyone?


	6. Chapter 6

My eyes remained watering even after Mikoto rose to her feet and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, effectively creating some distance between my mother and I. I'm sure Ino and Mom couldn't tell, but I noticed how tight the Uchiha Queen's smile was compared to her usually easy one. "You must be Mrs. Haruno. I must commend you on raising such a delightful young lady."

The dark-haired woman squeezed my shoulders slightly in reassurance as I tried to hold back tears of betrayal. "My name is Mikoto Uchiha and I welcome you to my home." My mother tore her eyes from my angry face and finally lay eyes on the royal in front of her as though she'd just realized where she was. Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly bowed her head, "Of course, your highness. Pardon my actions. I was just disciplining my daughter, you see." She glanced up from her bow to shoot me a brief dirty look, "She has always been...rebellious, but she's never committed a crime before. I apologize for her actions."

Mikoto let out a twinkling laugh, removing her arm from my shoulders and laying a hand on my mother's arm as she rose back to her feet, "Now, Now, Mrs. Haruno. We were all young and foolish once, weren't we?" I bit my tongue as my mother simply frowned. She seemed to be in a trance as she stared deeply into Mikoto's eyes. After a tense moment of silence, Mikoto removed her hand from Mom's arm and gestured to Ino, who had been eyeing us in silence. I could tell she was just as uncomfortable as I was.

"You must be Ino. My, you are quite the beauty, just like your sister. Pleased to meet you, dear." Ino stepped forward and gave a polite bow, a bright smile on her lips. Her eyes were sparkling with admiration as she gazed up at the gorgeous woman before her, "Yes, ma'am. Thank you for your invitation." I surveyed my twin sister. Her hair was styled flawlessly to roll over her shoulders in soft blond strands and her homemade dress was baby blue and expensive looking.

It appeared as though they'd found a way to keep Ino in business while I was away. I felt tears threaten to fall as relief warmed my limbs. You don't realize how much you miss someone until they're directly in front of you. I couldn't help myself from stepping forward to pull my twin into a tight hug. Ino didn't seem surprised and squeezed me just as hard. I heard her whisper tearfully, "I'm so happy that you're alright!"

We eventually pulled apart and I saw her wipe anxiously at her eyes, trying to hide her tears from the royals in the room, no doubt. Mikoto let out a dreamy sigh, "Isn't that lovely? If only my boys cared for each other like that, right Sakura?" I looked back at her and a small laugh slipped past my lips as I nodded. Ino's ears perked up at the mention of boys and it were as though Madara and Sai had just now appeared in the room even though they had been present the whole time.

Her ocean-blue eyes locked onto Sai as though she were a sniper and he was her target. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by her sudden change in character. Even I was taken aback by how attractive the Uchiha men were. It was only a matter of time before she made a move for one of them. Her and Sai's gazes met and it seemed as though all was still for a few moments before Madara suddenly stepped in between them with his hand reached out, "I am Madara Uchiha, younger brother to King Fugaku. It's an honor to meet you both."

Ino broke from her trance and looked up at the handsome man with a small blush on her face, "Y-Yes, an honor." She shook his outreached hand, as did my mother before Mikoto clapped her hands together excitedly, "I'm sure you two are just exhausted from your travelling! How about Sakura gives you the tour while I plan lunch?" Ino linked her arm into mine and nodded. Mom simply stared as the Queen left the room, the two Uchiha men in tow. Once they and the guards that had showed my family in were out of earshot, Ino squealed and hugged me, jumping up and down for a moment in excitement, "Oh mY GOSH! You hit the jackpot! You get to stay here AND you're surrounded by sexy men? Maybe I should commit a crime-!"

Mom slapped her upside her head, shutting her up, but I could tell that the hit only silenced Ino for a moment for her eyes were still shining with jealousy. "Ino, have some sense. Your sister committed an act of treason and is lucky to be alive right now. She should be praying to God for forgiveness of her sins." Her piercing eyes stared down at me as though I were an insect in the dirt. I stared back up at her with a glare as she continued to drag me down, "You've embarrassed your family."

My mouth shot open before I could stop it, "I'm sure slapping your children in front of the royal family represents our family well, right?" I felt her nails scratch my scalp as she grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my face closer to hers, "The Queen understands that children need to be disciplined for their mistakes. If I'll hit you in front of her, imagine what I'll do to you now that she's gone."

For the first time, I honestly felt afraid of my own mother. Sure, she's hit me a few times in the past, but none of that compared to the look in her eyes as she threatened me. Ino looked on with obvious yearning to interrupt, but knew that it was best to just stay out of it lest she be the one in my place. "What's going on here?" We all turned to see Sasuke leaning against the doorway that his family had left with his arms crossed and his usual moody glare. Ino's pupils pretty much turned into hearts as she lay eyes on him, but my mother's reaction was quite the opposite.

She released her hold on me and turned to face the Uchiha Prince, "I request that you resend for your guard. I have no intention to stay here and only came to let my daughter know that she is not welcome to come home once her sentence is fulfilled." Sasuke glared down at her for a few moments before uncrossing his arm. Such a small movement came off as very intimidating and I was honestly worried about what he might do to her. We'd only known each other for a little less than a week, so I didn't know how he'd react to such a situation. "Show yourself out. The guard are at the gates of the estate." Ino and I looked at eachother in understanding. It was nice to see Mom taken down off of her pedestal.

The woman stared up at the royal for a moment in silence before turning on her heel and hurrying towards the hall she'd arrived from, stopping just before leaving, "Ino, come along. We're leaving." Ino looked at me and almost had tears in her eyes, "I-" "The Queen has extended an invitation to her so it is her choice whether or not she chooses to leave." I looked back at Sasuke in shock. He rarely speaks, but chooses to be talkative when it comes to pissing off my mom? Ino glanced at him with a small smile before nodding and turning to face our parental figure, "I'm staying with Saku." Our mother gave us one last glance before speaking in an eerily calm voice, "Don't come home when the ball is finished." Ino and my's jaws dropped in shock. She disowned both of her daughters in one day? How would she survive without Ino there to make money? I should be angry at her irrationalizations, but I was more worried about her well-being.

Something was very obviously wrong in her head. Ino's tears bubbled over and she burried her face in my shoulder to sob. I wrapped my arms around her shaking form and looked over her shoulder to meet eyes with Sasuke, who still had a moody expression, but there was something underneath it that I couldn't put my finger on. He turned his back and headed out of the room the same way he came. I led Ino to my old bedroom which would now be hers while she stayed here. She eventually stopped crying and washed her face in the marble restroom sink before joining me to sit on the plush bed.

She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, a very unladylike position for someone as proper as Ino, "What are we gonna do, Saku?" She leaned over to rest her head against my shoulder, "Where are we gonna go?" I kept my mouth shut because I really didn't have an answer for her. Perhaps I could convince Mikoto to let Ino stay here until my sentence ended, but what would we do after that? We'd be homeless. Worry was etched into my voice as I finally answered, "We'll figure something out, we always do."

After about half an hour of letting our anxiety make the best of us, Ino lightly slapped her cheeks between her hands, "Ugh! That's enough negativity! Let's just focus on right now until the time comes, okay?" I couldn't agree more and nodded, offering a small smile as she gave me an exaggerated up and down look, "First of all, hot damn Sakura! Who knew you had a body like that?" I slapped her leg as she laughed loudly. She then grabbed my hands as though something important had just occurred to her, "Oh! And what the fuck is up with those twins, huh? HOTTIES! Do you have dibs on either of them? I kind of liked the one with messy hair for shutting Mom up."

She gasped loudly before I could even offer a reply, "Oh my gosh! Have you slept with one of them yet?" I nearly died of embarrassment, "Of course not, and what do you mean YET?!" Ino tugged lightly on a thick strand of my hair, "Please, Sakura. Even you aren't stupid enough to turn down a guy as hot as any of the ones here." I smacked her hand away with a red face, "Sleep with whoever you want, Ino. I'm not interested in any of them."

She let out a squeal and hugged me, "Yes! Okay, so who is who?" We then talked about each of the members of the Royal Family for a while until we were interrupted by a knock at the door. Madara stuck his head in and offered a mischievous smile, "I hope I'm not interrupting an important conversation, ladies. Lunch is ready and I've come to escort you to the dining hall." Ino and I both glanced at each other with red faces. We had just been talking about how amazing the Uchihas' jaw lines were when he'd knocked. Had he overheard?

We allowed the older gentleman to lead us downstairs to the dining room. Mikoto sat Ino across from me, in between Madara and Sai. The girl looked as though she couldn't be happier, surrounded by attractive men. The table was void of any conversation as we all ate, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Ino kept making eyes at Sasuke, which I kept trying not to snicker at as I could practically feel him avoiding them. It was kind of funny to see Ino's advances being avoided just like she'd avoided Naruto's. Oh! Naruto! "Ino! Have you spoken to Naruto?"

Her arctic eyes tore from Sasuke's "glorious" face and turned to me in annoyance, "Don't get me started on him, Saku. Where do you think Mom and I have been staying while we get back on our feet?" I nearly busted out with laughter at the thought of Naruto and Ino sharing a home, much less a bedroom. Sai spoke up, "Pardon me, but who is this Naruto you speak of?" Ino turned to meet his gaze and a small blush formed on her cheeks at how intensely Sai was staring at her. I, too, found it odd for him to be staring at her like that, much less joining the conversation. I replied so Ino wouldn't trip over her words and embarrass herself, "Naruto is my best friend. He has feelings for Ino."

Sai looked at her in surprise before letting out a stiff laugh, "Ah, and does Miss Ino return his feelings?" Ino shook her head almost too quickly, "No I don't!" Madara and Mikoto insisted you didn't have feelings for me when we first met, Darling?" Fugaku let out a grunt as he chewed and stared at his plate, seemingly annoyed, but I noticed him turn his hand over so he could lace his fingers with his wife's. Once lunch was finished, all of the men went off to do whatever they normally did during the day as Ino and I helped Mikoto clean up. Once we were finished with that, we headed back to the family room and began the long process of planning a royal ball. We were all seated around the large, circular, coffee table working on various details.

Mikoto was working on the invitations, Ino on the decorations, and I on the music. "Ino, dear, I've been meaning to ask you who designed your dress? It's positively lovely! I'd love to have them design a few gowns for me." Ino actually choked on the mouthful of water she was sipping on and fell into a fit of coughs trying to compose herself. I muffled a snicker with a cough of my own, smiling down into the binder I was flipping through. Once her fit was finished and she could breath, Ino let out a meek smile, "I designed and constructed this dress, Ma'am." Mikoto looked thoroughly surprised, "Oh my! How wonderful! Sakura didn't mention that detail. This changes things, my lovelies."

Ino and I glanced at each other. "Ino, how would you like to design my dress for the ball? I do have a preference for dark colors. Would that be an issue?" Ino rose to her feet just so she could bow, "Of course! I'd love to, Ma'am!" Mikoto rose to her feet so she could hold my sister's hands in her own, "How wonderful! Why don't you start sketching a few ideas so we can pick out a design tonight for you to start on tomorrow? I'm sure Sakura doesn't mind taking over with decorations, do you Dear?" I shook my head with a smile, "I don't mind at all."

So Ino handed the binder she had to me and began roaming the halls of the palace, looking for inspiration for the Queen's dress. Once Mikoto and I were alone again, I couldn't help but get something off of my chest, "I'm sorry for how my mother acted. Had I known she would be that way, I wouldn't have asked for her invitation to the castle." The older woman gave me a warm smile, "No, Dear, I'm sorry that you feel the need to apologize for her actions. Have no worries, Sakura. I know that she is not a reflection of who you are." Tears were starting to sting my eyes and I desperately tried to blink them away. My voice cracked as I managed to thank her for her kindness.

My mind was having a dilemma. On one hand, this family was primarily to blame for the awful situation I grew up in. While on the other hand, I'd been treated with nothing but kindness since I'd arrived, minus a few little hiccups. It was kind of an unspoken rule not to bring up politics with the Uchihas, especially since I'm a mere servant girl and they're royalty. No matter how many gifts and freedoms they give me, that would always be true. With my apology out of the way, I silently continued working. After about an hour, I excused myself to visit the restroom. I decided to just stop by Sasuke's room to use his since he wouldn't be in there anyway. He was never in his room during the day. I had no idea where he went, I just knew that he was never there.

When I arrived in front of Sasuke's door, however, the door was locked. I didn't bother knocking because I knew if it was locked, it was locked for a reason. I turned on my heel and decided to just try Sai's since it was so close. I knocked briefly before walking in, only to let out a surprised squeal. I pulled my eyes away from the scene I'd just witnessed and shut the door behind me.

Sai was on top of Ino with no shirt on. I couldn't see her since he was much bigger than her, but I assumed I'd interrupted something I didn't want to know about. The door to Sasuke's room flew open just after my scream and I was met again with a view I didn't want. Sasuke with just boxers on looked concerned, but that wasn't what had me rushing down the hall and as far away from the two bedrooms as possible.

That redheaded woman from the other day was standing behind him with nothing covering her but the bed sheets that she held around her body. Is that what people normally do in the middle of the day? Did I miss some memo that said two in the afternoon was the time to have sex? My face was bright red. Sai and Ino hadn't seen me, but they definitely heard me and there was no way Sasuke and the redhead didn't see me since they'd opened the door just to look at me. I knew Ino was a quick worker, especially when she knew what she wanted, but I'd never expected her to be THAT fast.

With a shake of my head, I headed into Madara's room to use his restroom. I'd only ever seen his room once or twice since I didn't do his cleaning, but luckily he wasn't in his room when I entered. After I'd finished my business, I left his bedroom and headed back downstairs to get back to work with Mikoto.

Just as I was about to pass Itachi's bedroom, his door flew open and I was pulled inside with a hand covering my mouth to muffle my screams. Today has got to be the worst day of my life.


	7. Chapter 7

"I will let go of you if you agree to stay silent." Through my heavy breathing and tears I managed to nod, wanting nothing more than for this man's hands to be off my body. Just the thought of what he must've done to the poor girl he'd murdered before her death had bile rising in my throat. The same hands that violated that girl's innocence reluctantly lightened their grip enough for me to put some distance between my body and his.

I turned to meet Itachi's chilling scarlet eyes, fear and anger mixing in my blood as I desperately tried to wipe away the tears that were falling from my own green eyes. I was ashamed to let such a monster see me cry. The Uchiha royal stood between me and the door to block my exit and put his hands up in a defensive manner, "Please allow me to explain why I've pulled you into my bedroom."

His voice was soft and polite which made him even more terrifying somehow. I spoke in a hushed voice, "If you don't think I know about what you've done, you're mistaken!" His pupils shrunk until they were nearly non-existent as he studied my panicked face. After a few moments of intimidating me with just his gaze and a blank face, he replied, "Just listen to what I have to say first. There are others who are more dangerous than me within the walls of the castle."

The anger was starting to overpower the fear in my body. How could he possibly think that I'd believe that? Did he think I would let him take advantage of me without a fight? How insulting. "I don't care what you have to say! You're a monster and you need to let me out of this room before I start screaming. You're brothers' and Madara's rooms are just down the hall so they'll definitely hear me." To my surprise, the usually serious Uchiha brother let out a scoff.

My glare faltered as he let out a small laugh that lacked even an ounce of humor, "Do you honestly think that I'm the one you should be scared of in this castle? Fine, " he opened the door that was behind him and gestured for me to leave his room, "Leave and don't bother coming to me for help when you figure everything out." I was utterly lost in my confusion. So much so that I actually hesitated to leave the room, "Wait- What are you talking about?"

Itachi's eyes flared up like gasoline thrown into a fire pit and he hissed out, "You've missed you chance to get information, now get out!" My blood ran cold as he neared me threateningly, causing me to sprint past him and out of the room, running as fast as possible towards the family room. It must've been my imagination, but I could've sworn his facial features had changed slightly in his anger. The whites of his eyes seemed to darken and his teeth seemed to sharpen slightly. Was it just my imagination? Just before I reached the family room where Mikoto was surely still waiting for me to return, I stopped and took a deep breath to calm my nerves, giving my cheeks a soft pat between my hands to try and knock the hallucination I'd experienced from my memory. Placing a fake smile on my lips, I strolled into the room only to see that Mikoto was ordering a handful of her soldiers to head into town for supplies.

I waited for her to finish, not wanting to interrupt. Once the men had successfully left the room to collect their target items, Mikoto turned to me with a sly smile on her lips, "I have something to show you, Sakura dear. Follow me." I sat the binder I was again holding down onto the coffee table and followed the Queen as she'd requested. To my surprise, she led us up the stairs and into her and Fugaku's bedroom. I forced my gaze onto the floor. It seemed taboo to lay eyes on the royals' private quarters and I didn't want to see something I'm not supposed to. We headed through another doorway where I couldn't help but look up in curiosity. We were standing in the middle of what appeared to be Mikoto's walk-in closet, but it seemed more like a small clothing store if I were to be honest.

The room was shaped like an octagon with a ceiling-to-floor mirror on every other wall: four in total. Two of the three non-mirrored walls were extended walk-in closets with the third wall extending into a dressing room with a thick burgundy curtain hanging elegantly in the doorway. One of the walk-in closets was filled with dress after dress while the other was filled with shoes and accessories. The carpet was the same as the rest of the house with walls matching the burgundy of the dressing room's curtain. A large vanity sat against one of the mirrors, stocked with only the most precious makeups and perfumes. My jaw must've been hanging slack because Mikoto's cold, soft hand gently pushing my mouth closed, successfully pulling me out of my trance.

She let out a soft chuckle, "Now the room itself wasn't the surprise, but I'm glad you like it. I had to put in a lot of work to convince Fugaku to build me this area." She gave me a wink, which brought a blush to my cheeks in response to her insinuation. Her words managed to bring back the image of the mysterious redhead's annoyed face and Sai's bare back. Before I could give her any other reply, she stepped into the dress closet and fumbled around for a few moments before stepping back out with a large garment bag in hand. I was curious about what she was showing me, but simply waited in silence as she hang the bag from the ceiling and pulled whatever clothing was inside out so we could look at it. Once her slim figure stepped to the side so I could view what she had taken the time to arrange for me, my breath caught in my breath and one of my hands made it's way in front of my mouth in shock.

The most beautiful gown I'd ever seen was displayed before me. The biggest shock should've been that it wasn't black, but a rosy shade of lavender. It was made to be skin-tight until it reached the hips, then it gracefully flowed out in waves of silk in the front and a train of perfectly crafted flowers that looked so real to the naked eye. There was a cutout on the back that showed a bit of skin, but not so much that it seemed too sexy. "I was saving this dress as a gift to the first wife of one of the boys, but I want you to have it, Sakura. You've only been in my household for a week or so and I've already grown so attached to you. Please say you'll wear it to the ball. I'm afraid it's going to waste away in this closet."

My jaw dropped again at her kind words and I could do nothing to respond other than nod dumbly. Only an idiot would say no to something like that! We soon returned to the family room and spent the rest of the evening outlining the plans for the ball. As the evening grew late, it became clear that we would soon be packing up our items for the night and I couldn't help but take a leap of faith and ask Mikoto about what Itachi had said. As she sifted through a booklet of cloths for the decor, she listened to me stammer through my question, "Um, ma'am, I'd heard somewhere that the U-Uchiha's have a big family secret. Isn't that crazy?"

It was probably smart not to mention that Itachi had pretty much kidnapped me into his room. Even if he was in the wrong, who was I compared to one of the royal princes, especially in his own mother's eyes? There was a slight pause in Mikoto's flipping of the cloth samples that I would've missed if I weren't looking for it. She calmly replied without looking up at me, "Oh dear, is this some of the town gossip I've heard so much about from the guards? Hopefully this open ball with help clear up rumors like that!" I quickly smiled and agreed with her, chickening out of confronting her. She clearly dodged the question and obviously knew that I wouldn't push the issue any further. "Yes, ma'am. That must be all it is." I helped her finish packing up her items into the totes they'd come from before heading upstairs to finally take a bath and head to bed. My eyes were drooping and my feet heavy by the time I managed to make it up the stairs.

As soon as I opened the door to Sasuke's bedroom, the events from earlier very quickly caught up to me and woke me right up. This was mainly because the same redhead from earlier was laying seductively in his bed with nothing but some red lacy lingerie on. A squeal of surprise slipped past my lips and I quickly covered my eyes before I could lay them on wherever Sasuke was. There was a small squeak of mutual surprise from the woman, but it was quickly followed by an exasperated sigh. "You sure do scream a lot. Have you never seen another woman's body before?" With my face red, I removed my hands from my face and stalked past her to collect my blanket and pillows. There was no way in Hell I was sleeping in this room if she and Sasuke were going to be at it all night. The girl sat up on the bed and studied me as I fumbled to fit all of my sleeping items in my arms, "So, what is your deal anyway? Are you playing innocent to try and get into Sasuke's pants?"

My absolute embarrassment was temporarily interrupted by annoyance. I already didn't like this woman. Her voice was nasily as though she thought she were better than me and she seemed to be looking for competition where she wouldn't find any. I shook my head and tried to remain polite since she was still a higher class citizen than me, "No, I'm not interested in Sasuke that way." Where was he anyway? I glanced quickly over the room and noticed that he wasn't present. The redhead climbed quickly over the bed to sit on the edge, not two feet away from me. The sheer amount of skin she was showing made it hard for me to look at her, but she was indeed beautiful. She had clear skin with curvy hips and large breasts. It was no wonder Sasuke kept bringing her around.

"No offense, but are you dense? You aren't interested in Sasuke? Are you gay?" She made a dramatic motion to cover her very exposed cleavage. I bit back a scoff and shook my head, "No, I'm not gay. I just have specific tastes in men." With my arms firmly wrapped around my items, I gave her a small bow of respect as I hurried to exit the room. I didn't want to be around her any longer than absolutely necessary. "Wait! My name's Karin. Since you're not interested in Sasuke, can you help me try and win him over?" Her hand was on my shoulder, stopping me from moving away. I turned to look at her in shock, "What do you mean win him over? Haven't you already-" I gestured my head at her appearance to which she responded with a laugh of disbelief, "You honestly think that sleeping with him means I've won him over? I want to be a princess!"

Her eyes practically turned into hearts as she looked out into the hypothetical distance as though she could just see herself with a tiara on. I was just about to break her delusion when the door to the room opened behind me and both Karin and I turned to see Sasuke standing there with his usually annoyed expression. I bowed with grit teeth. I'm sure Sasuke and I's bargain wouldn't be active while this woman was around. She could tell others after all, "Good evening, Sir. I was just on my way out." "No." I rose back up and gave him a questioning look, "I'm sorry?" The dark haired man strode past me and kicked his shoes off before flopping down on his bed, "Leave, Karin." The red head gave a huff, "But Sasuke-" "Leave." With a glare directed at me, the redhead slipped on her luxurious dress with expertise and collected her high-heeled shoes before stomping angrily past me and out of the room.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment before gently shutting the door behind her, dropping the book I was holding. Sasuke glanced over and for a moment he seemed focused only on the book. I quickly dropped the other items I was holding to snatch up the book and check it over for damage, "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drop it!" Sasuke's glare moved up to my face before he tugged off his shirt and reclined back against his pillows, grabbing one of his title-less books to shove his face into instead of talking to me. With a small blush at his half-nakedness, I collected my items from the floor and remade my little pallet on the couch before spending the rest of the evening very similarly to how the previous night had gone.

It seemed as though the second I fell asleep, a flash of red eyes shook me awake and I'd shoot up in fright from the couch. Finally, when it had to be the wee hours of the morning, I dragged myself off the couch with a sigh and ran a hand through my hair to keep it out of my face. There was no way I'd be sleeping tonight. I glanced at the bed as I quietly passed it only to realized that it was empty. With a glance at the dark doorway of the restroom, I quickly ruled out that Sasuke was not in his room at all. It suddenly hit me that I was all alone in a dangerous place. I glanced frantically around the room for something to protect myself with so i could attempt to make it up to Ino's room to make sure she was okay when finally my eyes landed on two decorative knives hanging on the wall in the shape of an x. One had a white handle with a design etched into it while the other had a gnarled red hilt.

I grabbed the white one and held it in front of me with one hand as I shakilly reached to open the bedroom door with the other. With as much courage as I could muster, I yanked the door open and quickly raised the knife so as to threaten anyone that may have been lurking outside to back away. When I saw that the coast was clear, I stepped cautiously out into the hallway and began my agonizingly slow-paced trek to the staircase down the hall. I'd have to pass both Itachi and Madara's rooms on the way over. No sooner had I taken a few steps did Sai's bedroom door swing open with vigor and I quickly turned around, my feet getting tangled up in my dress and sending me falling backwards onto the ground. I felt a sharp sting and realized I'd dropped the knife on my way down and it'd cut a slice into my forearm. My eyes were too busy searching the dark hallway from whoever had opened the door only to see a blond girl with green eyes staring down at me from Sai's room.

So he wasn't sleeping with Ino earlier? I HAD only seen the person's hair and this person had hair very similar to Ino's. The woman walked past me blankly, as though she didn't even notice my presence. My body was frozen momentarily with fright as I took in the similarities between her and my twin sister. The only real differences were the girl's slightly darker skin tone and green eyes that one hundred percent too similar to my own. I rolled over to follow her with my eyes, but a sharp sting on my arm stopped me and when I looked back up, the woman was gone.

My blood somehow went even colder than it already had been. Had I just witnessed a ghost? I snatched up the abandoned knife from the floor and quickly got to my feet to search for her, only to be stopped by Sai's emotionless voice, "Miss Sakura? What hap-oh!" I turned to look at Sai, who had exited his room to greet me only to freeze as I was taken under a trance just as I had been not three nights ago. The sharp red eyes that I was growing too familiar with were all that I could see. The rest of my vision was black. I fought to resist whatever was causing my body to freeze up, but could only move my hand that was around the hilt of the knife. Adrenaline had me acting brave and as soon as I felt someone's skin touch my own, I moved my hand down the knife and gripped tightly so as to cut into my palm.

The searing pain had me dropping the knife to the floor, creating a loud clatter, but also successfully pulled me out of whatever trance I was in. I quickly span on my heel and started sprinting in the opposite direction, towards the downstairs staircase that was right next to the upstairs one. I couldn't hear any noises following me, but with everything that seemed so odd happening, that didn't convince me that I wasn't being chased. So does Sai have the same red eyes as Itachi or had Itachi quickly overpowered Sai and focused on me?

Whoever it was that had attacked me was not going to get me down without a fight. I slipped on a few drops of my blood nearly halfway down the large staircase and felt myself tumble forward. My hands flailed to grasp onto the banister, but the injured one was the one that made contact and a sharp scream of pain slipped past my lips at the amount of sting the maneuver caused and I tumbled down the remainder of the stairs. Each linoleum step hurt more than the last and a woosh of air left my lip as I finally slid to a stop on the base floor of the estate.

I heard a shuffling behind me and tried to get to my feet, but a dark cloud blocked my vision and a ringing filled my ears that had me falling back down onto my hands and knees. Terror filled my veins as I felt a cold hand on my shoulder and I did whatever I could manage to try and save myself from being killed. I kicked and screamed and shoved, but nothing seemed to do any good against whoever was there and they quickly had me wrestled to the ground on my back with their hands holding down my wrists. I kept my eyes squeezed shut so I couldn't look into their eyes and get pulled into a trance again. I had no knife to cut myself with this time so I'd be screwed. So I did all that was left to do and I cried as I tried to pull my wrists free, "Please! Please don't!"

"Sakura stop fighting!" It were as though a veil had been lifted from my senses and I could finally hear again, the ringing had stopped. My eyes shot open at the familiar voice and I looked up to see Sasuke's dark features clearly. He had blood smeared onto his left cheek, no doubt from my slapping him in our fight, but I was more focused on the actual worry that was etched onto his features. He cautiously released my wrists, as I'd stopped trying to wrangle them away, and climbed off of my body so he could lean over to inspect the damage done to my arm and hand, "Who did this to you?"

His voice was scarier than I'd ever heard it, but I didn't feel any fear towards him. Oddly enough, I felt relieved that he had been the one who'd found me. There somehow wasn't a doubt in my mind that whoever was chasing me, be in Sai or Itachi, was not going to be getting to me tonight. Tears fell down my cheeks as I tried to choke out an answer, but I simply couldn't and tried to cover my face with my good hand as Sasuke simply looked down at me as though he didn't know how to handle this kind of situation. Despite being relieved that Sasuke had found me before I'd been killed, I was actually slightly angry at him.

The only reason I'd moved into his bedroom was because he'd insinuated that he'd protect me, yet when I wake up in the middle of the night he's no where to be seen. I wasn't foolish enough to believe that having a lock on his bedroom door would stop someone if they really wanted to get in. Especially if that person is an Uchiha and most likely knew where to find the very key that would unlock it. Despite that as well, I had conflicting emotions. Yes, I was mad at him for not being there, but I was also angry at myself for feeling that way to begin with. It was not Sasuke's, or anyone for that matter's, job to keep me safe.

I'm literally a temporary maid in their house. A minuscule blip in their lives that they most likely won't even remember in ten years. This did little to sooth me into stopping the tears that were falling endlessly from my eyes and Sasuke seemed quite put off by them. I struggled to pull my arm away from him so I could it up, but he held it still in his grip, "Sakura, you're injured. Stay still." I wiped at my tears enough to look at him with a glare and yank my arm away with one last big pull. With visibly obvious struggle, I pulled myself to my feet. With my arm cradled into my body so as to keep the blood from dripping any further onto the beautiful linoleum, I carefully started walking up the stairs. I heard footsteps behind me and knew that Sasuke wa following me, but I didn't turn to look at him. After a few moments, we'd arrived back to his room and I shut myself into the bathroom so I could do my best to clean myself up.

My roommate didn't say a word. Once I'd gingerly removed my clothing, I stood in front of the giant full-body mirror to assess the damage. A three inch long slash ran down my right arm and my right palm had a slash running completely horizontal across it. Getting the bleeding to stop would be priority number one. There was a small gash on my temple, which had to be from falling down the stairs, and plenty of new bruises to cover up my nearly healed ones. There was a knock on the door and I glanced over to see Sasuke turning the handle.

I quickly moved to press my weight against the door and yelled, "Don't come in! I'm indecent!" There was a muffled sigh from the other side of the door. After a pause, he replied, "Run yourself a bath and get in or wrap yourself in a towel. I'm coming in one way or another." My face ran bright red with shock. He was such an ass! Couldn't he just let me handle things on my own? I quickly fumbled to wrap one of the fuzzy black towels around my body before reluctantly taking a step back from the door. He opened it after a moment and let his eyes survey the damage that showed on my body that he could see. He motioned for me to take a seat on the closed toilet, which I did without arguing. When a royal tells you to do something, you listen even if you hate it.

He turned to start a bath for me before kneeling down in front of me. Blood was dripping messily down my arm and onto the white floor. I'd have such a mess to clean up in the morning. He silently cleaned my two worst wounds for a while before I finally pulled in the courage to spit out what I was thinking, "I want to move back into my old room." He glanced up at me with a glare and shook his head to disagree as though it were that simple. Anger filled my veins and I bravely lay a hand on one of his shoulders to push him back so he'd be forced to look me in the eye, "Sasuke, it doesn't really matter what you want. Someone here wants me dead and obviously sleeping here isn't going to fix that."

His dark eyes studied my brighter ones momentarily before he shook his head again, re-attending to my wounds as he spoke in a gruff voice, "I won't leave you alone again." Guilt washed over me as soon as his angry words sank in. He was blaming himself just as much as I was blaming him. Even if this was about him thinking he's making up for his previous mistakes, I still felt like a complete bitch for being so harsh on him. I was no one to him and he'd offered me a hand to keep me safe. His ways of doing so may not have been the most polite or professional, but he'd still meant to do some good. I couldn't stop my body from reacting to his words. The hand that held his shoulder gently moved up to cup his cheek, which had him freezing in his work and looking back up at me with shielded eyes. I didn't try to fake a smile, but let out as straight of a thank you a possible without dying from embarrassment, "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Sasuke, but I'm just a maid for a few months here. Don't put yourself in danger to try and protect me. A member of the royal family's life means much more than mine."

Even if it pained me to say it, and even if I didn't like that it was, it was the truth. One of his hands gingerly smacked mine away from his face and he hurriedly finished up bandaging my wounds before stalking out of the bathroom and shutting the door a little too hard behind him. I sat there in awe of his reaction. I was trying to be nice and honest with him and he was quite obviously angry at what I'd said. With a sigh, I decided to just take my bath and move on with my night. Hopefully I'd be able to sleep even a little after all of this.


	8. Chapter 8

Sleeping in Sasuke's room after I clearly pissed him off is awkward to say the least. He even decided to pettily have his back turned to me throughout the whole night. I found it hard to fall asleep and when I finally did, I found it hard to stay asleep. When morning comes, a sliver of sunshine slips through the curtains and lands, you guessed it, right on my face. I woke up with a groan, my head pounding with a mixture of stress and exhaustion. There was no pull at my arm like I'd expected and I peeked through tired eyes to see just an angry red line where my injury had been.

I lifted my other hand to inspect the cut there and see that it's healing process is in a similar stage as my arm. Now, when I'd woken up the morning after the first attack and my neck was perfectly fine, I'd brushed it off as a dream. Two times in a row, however, I couldn't just shrug off. How was I healing up so quickly? I looked past my arm to see Sasuke was not in his bed, but I could hear the water running in the bathroom so I put two and two together and realized he was bathing. I rose to my feet, stretching my arms above my head with a great yawn. I should probably be heading out to the hallway to clean up whatever mess of my blood is left from last night. I knew it seemed as though I wasn't taking the danger I'd gone through last night seriously, but what else am I supposed to do? I couldn't just cower in Sasuke's room. I needed to find out exactly what was going on with the Uchiha family.

For some reason, I couldn't take my mind off of it. I have to know, once and for all. My first attempt to question Mikoto had been a flop, so I decided to search elsewhere, starting with Madara since he's the most likely to actually talk to me. I hear Sasuke's familiar rumble through the door of the bathroom, "Don't leave the room, Sakura." His voice sounds serious and concern etches itself into my brow. Does he know something I don't? Would Sasuke talk to me about it? Judging by how he won't even come clean about me being attacked the first night Itachi returned has me guessing no.

With an uneasy sigh, I take advantage of his absence from the room and flop carelessly onto his bed. It was the first time I was testing it out and I had to say it was the most comfortable bed I'd ever layed on, even more so than the one in my old room upstairs. I wrapped myself in his comforter and snuggle into the pillows. My eyes widen when the musky scent of Sasuke reaches my nose and I shamelessly take a deep breath in. He may have an attitude problem, but he does smell amazing. I wondered if it was a cologne or if it was his natural scent. The scent seemed more familiar than I'd expected, but I didn't have time to ponder it because the bathroom door opened suddenly and Sasuke strode out in nothing but a towel around his waist.

His obsidian eyes found me rather quickly and a small heat rises to my face at his sensual appearance. The Uchiha twins practically oozed sex. This is amplified even more as he pushed his wet hair back and out of his face and a few stray water droplets ran down his defined torso. I scrambled to my feet, ashamed that I'd been caught in his bed. His face was as annoyed as usual, but his eyes weren't in as harsh of a glare as I'd thought they'd be after my angering him last night. I tried to change the subject before he can berate me for overstepping my bounds, "A-Ah, Sasuke. I wanted to apologize for last night. I don't know what I said that made you upset, but I can assure you that wasn't my intention." The young man stared me down for a few moments until I began to fidget under his gaze. Without words, he walked past me and approaches his dresser to find clothes for the day. Awkwardly, I moved out of his way and into the restroom to freshen up.

Once I'm dressed and freshened up, Sasuke rose to his feet and motioned subtly to the door for me to go ahead and leave the room. I did so without speaking, afraid that I'd just make things worse if I opened my mouth. To my surprise, the Uchiha prince followed me out into the hallway in silence. I looked back at him in confusion and he gave me a pointed glare so I turned back around and inspected the floor in front of Sai's room. Not a drop of blood was on the clean floor. My anxiety rising to frantic levels, I rushed down the hall toward the staircase, eyes trained to the floor for any blood drips. Sasuke remained in tow throughout my whole inspection, but I was more concerned about how the large amount of blood I'd lost last night was just gone. Sasuke couldn't have cleaned it up himself because my sleep was super light and I would've woken up. We eventually make it to the ground floor and sure enough, the stairs and floor at the bottom are spot free of any crimson liquid.

I spun on my heel to face the statuesque prince with a look of distrust on my features, "Where is it?" He looks down his nose at me, "I don't know what you're talking about." That has to be his favorite line to use on me. Obviously what happened last night wasn't a dream because I had the marks on my body to show it. On top of that, Sasuke never followed me around like a dog before, yet now he is after I got upset with him about leaving me alone yesterday. Before I can call him out, Itachi comes around the corner and faces us with his arms crossed and his usual blank expression, "Mother is waiting for you both to join us for breakfast." My whole being tensed up at his sudden appearance and Sasuke nodded at him so he'd go away.

We all wordlessly headed into the dining room where everyone was already at the table eating omelettes that the queen and king had no doubt prepared for us. My eyes zeroed in on Ino and relief slipped into my limbs. Looking at her body, she seemed to be unharmed. Judging by the way she was carelessly flirting with Sai, she doesn't appear to feel like she's in danger either. I glanced up at Sasuke before we both took out seats and began eating. Mikoto rubbed my back with the hand closest to me and speaks in a motherly voice, "I heard you took a spill last night, Dear. Perhaps I should order a rug to place on the stairs to prevent slipping?" My face heated up as I nod at her, "Um, yes ma'am. I'm sorry I'm so clumsy."

Who'd told her about my falling? Did she also know about someone chasing me being the cause of my falling? I was too unsure and downright nervous to ask her. All the Uchiha eyes were on me as I fake-laughed it off as a mere accident. Ino snickered, "You've always been such a clutz, Saku. It's a relief to hear that living in the palace hasn't changed you." Mikoto and her shared a small laugh. I forced a smile out to each of them before looking back down at my food and focusing on getting through the meal without causing a scene. The king was by far the quietest of all the Uchihas in the castle. He'd rarely join in on conversations unless Mikoto directly spoke to him. He struck me as more of a listen and learn type of person, but his leader aura was hard to ignore.

Everyone, including his own wife, was careful with their words around him and that made me even more afraid of his piercing gaze as I struggled to keep the attention off me. Once the suffering of eating breakfast in silence when my attacker was no doubt one of the people sitting at the table, Ino and Mikoto headed off to the family room to choose a fabric for the dress Ino'd designed. I chose to hang back and help Madara clear the table. Sasuke stayed with me and quietly does the dishes as I pull Madara to the side. The older man holds my hands in front of me within his much larger ones, "Dear Sakura, how are you feeling? You seem to be running into trouble left and right!" I placed a finger over my mouth and pointed to Sasuke's back to signal that I didn't want him to hear what I was about to say. Madara nodded with a frown and we snuck out into the dining room to converse in whispers, "What's wrong, Sakura?"

I ran my injured hand over my injured arm before showing them to the friendly man, "This is what's wrong. Last night these were deep cuts in need of stitches and now look at them! On top of that, someone keeps attacking me when Itachi is nowhere in sight. Unless he has super human speed, there's no way it's him every time." The Uchiha's eyes stared down at the angry red lines on my skin in calculation. He gently ran a finger over the cut on my arm, pulling a shiver from my spine when his dark eyes shoot back up to meet my desperate green ones, "Itachi is a very quiet person. Are you sure he hasn't been sneaking up on you?" My mind thought back to last night. Could Itachi have snuck up on me? How would he both subdue Sai and chase me at the same time, though?

My heart had been pounding so loudly in my ears last night that I couldn't remember what I had heard. When I thought back to what happened, it was as though it happened a year ago, not just a night ago. It was as though it had been a dream and I was slowly forgetting the details to it as I stared into Madara's eyes, "I-I'm not sure..." I really wasn't. Madara suddenly released my arm from his gentle grip and a wave of discomfort runs through me. Why was that? Sasuke suddenly appeared in the doorway beside us with an angry look on his attractive features, "What's going on here?"

Madara layed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, who then shrugged it off, "No worries, Nephew. Miss Haruno and I were simply talking about the upcoming ball, weren't we?" He gave me a look and I quickly nodded to confirm. I looked over at Sasuke to see him studying my face for a moment before grabbing my uninjured wrist and pulling me away from his uncle and toward the family room where Ino and his mother were working on plans. Annoyance rushes through me and I tugged at my wrist to try and free it from his grip to no avail. Once we're out of Madara's sight, Sasuke pulled me into a closet under the staircase and pushed me against the wall with just enough force to both not hurt me but also make sure I know to stay there.

I glared up at his dark eyes as he places a hand against the wall on either side of my head so I couldn't get away. I could feel his cold breath against my skin as he whispered in an angry voice, "Stay away from the men in this family." It wasn't a request, but an order. I placed my hands on his torso and pushed to try and create some distance between us because the proximity of his body to mine was making my legs shake with a mixture of nervousness and attraction. He just moved closer, glare hardening. I argued back, "You're a member of your family, Sasuke. Should I stay away from you, too?" His eyes widened ever so slightly and he glanced up and down my body before taking a step back, dropping his arms, "Yes, but then you'll be in even more danger."

My anger replied for me, "I feel in danger, now. If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to literally drag me into a closet. Do you know how scary this is for me?" I wasn't lying. If Sasuke wanted to, he could easily overpower me and do whatever he pleased. I didn't have the muscles to fight him off if he was seriously intent on getting me. He didn't reply, so I continued, "Do you know the risk I'm taking, trusting you? What if you've been the one attacking me all along?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I honestly considered them. Both times I'd been attacked, Sasuke had been the one to find me and, I assume, fix me back up. What if he's only doing that so he can play with me once more?

The fear I'd been subduing starts to seep out at the thought and my limbs go rigid. Was this all some elaborate scheme he was playing? He pretends to offer protection from the attacker just so I'll start to trust him and I'll even be in his own bedroom for him to watch over. How stupid can I get? I pushed past him and exited the closet before he could realize what was going through my mind. He doesn't come after me, thankfully, so I hurried into the living room to join my sister. She was draping an expensive dark blue silk on a mannequin and Mikoto was nowhere to be seen. I grabbed my sister's wrist in panic and she turned to look at me in surprise, "What's gotten into you, Saku?" My eyes searched the room for any sign of the queen, "Where's Mikoto?" Ino looked around the room quickly as if searching for what I was looking for, "She went to start some tea for us, why? What's wrong?"

I swallowed deeply, wondering if I should be completely honest with her or not. Ino's never really been one to handle fear well. She's always just cowered in fear instead of fighting. My grip on her wrist lightened up in defeat. She'd definitely not be able to handle the fear that I'm feeling right now. She'd react very badly and end up getting both of us killed, most likely. I released her wrist altogether, "I, um, I want to do something for her as a thank you for her kindness, is all." Ino's face lit up and she nodded eagerly, "I agree! She could've been much meaner to us since you're here as a punishment, after all. What should we do?" I shook my head, "I'm not sure, I'll think about it. So, what's the dress going to look like?"

Ino gasped as though she'd just realized she hadn't shown me her sketches yet. She handed me her sketchpad and watched me impatiently for a reaction. The dress was very...confident. It was made of silk and flowed down the body like water, a train similar to those on Mikoto's other dresses trailing behind it. The front of the dress dipped down into a massively low v, almost reaching the queen's stomach. The back was very similar to the front where it dips low, but it's not in the shape of a v, instead it's layed into a u-shape so low that it's borderline scandalous. I was in love with it, but leery on whether or not I could picture the queen actually wearing something so sensual. I sat the pad back down on the coffee table, "Has the queen seen the design yet?"

Ino nodded happily, "She said it's just what she was hoping for! Feel this silk, Sakura. It's nicer than anything I've ever worked with. I'm afraid I'll mess it up somehow..." I shook my head at her, "You're great at this stuff, Ino." Her hands froze up and she turns back to me with a mischievous look on her face, "By the way, I changed my mind. I want dibs on Sai. He actually talks to me and I saw him shirtless this morning before breakfast GOD DAMN! Are you alright with that?" An uneasy laugh left my body as I sat gently on the expensive couch, pulling the decoration binder into my lap once more, "Just be careful, that's all I'm saying." She scoffs, "Please, if I can handle someone as wild as Kiba then I can handle a pampered prince." My face heats up in surprise, "You didn't...with Kiba?!" She winked at me and motioned over her lips like she was zipping a zipper, "I'll never tell!" I knew that Ino'd done many things with some of the boys she's dated through the years, but even I couldn't tell if she was still a virgin or not. A part of me doubted it, but a larger part of me thinks that even she has enough morals to save it for someone special. Mikoto suddenly arrived back into the room with a tray in her hands filled with a teapot and three tea cups.

She sat the tray down and I offered wordlessly to pour the tea for her. She gave me a gracious smile before turning to inspect Ino's work so far, "Oh, it's looking lovely, Ino. You really have a gift for design." My blond sister gave the queen a humble bow, "Thank you, Ma'am." I stared at the queen's face as she takes a small sip of her tea. She met my gaze with kind eyes and places a hand on top of mine, "Is something bothering you, Dear? You seem quiet today." The girl leaving Sai's room last night flickered through my mind and I hesitantly asked her, "Can you tell me about the twins' previous maid? What was she like?" Mikoto gingerly sat down her tea cup and crossed her legs gracefully with a small frown on her painted lips, "Oh my, what a sad topic. Her name was Mina Tanaka and both of my sons fell head over heals in love with her." Ino's ears perked up and she turned to face us so she could listen to Mikoto's tale as well. "She was an orphan, only fourteen when Madara came across her while travelling outside of Konoha. My husband was furious that he'd brought a stray home, but once I'd met her I had to convince him to let her stay. She was a vision and had a personality to match." Confusion filled my head. Hadn't Madara told me that the king and queen had paid the previous maid's family to keep hushed about her murder? I shook my head and decided to hold onto that question for Madara later.

Mikoto's gaze dazed off as though she were in a different time, "I would've been happy to see either of my boys marry her. I loved her like she was my own." Her gaze focused back in and she looked between both Ino and I's faces, "She looked very similar to the both of you, actually. It's no wonder Sai seems so smitten with you, Ino. Mina, too, was a blond." It made sense to me now that Sai has a thing for blonds. Ino, unaware of what happened to her, asks, "What happened to Mina, Ma'am?" Mikoto gave Ino a sad smile, "She lived with us for nearly three years before she was tragically assaulted and eventually murdered." Ino's already fair skin paled even more, "Oh my gosh, how sad. I imagine you found the culprit and had them punished?"

Mikoto's eyes locked onto mine as she replied, " Unfortunately, the murderer has never been caught." A nervous sweat instantly coated the back of my neck. She was clearly threatening me to keep my mouth shut with that look. Suddenly the kind queen seemed not so kind. I shook my head slightly to let her know I wouldn't be opening my mouth and she smiled graciously, "Well, enough about Mina, may she rest in peace. We need to be focusing on the ball! Sakura, my darling, what do you think about this color for the table cloths?" I leaned forward to look at the deep red cloth in the book she was holding, my mind very much not focused on the topic at hand. Instead, my mind was racing with questions and panic. Maybe the queen just doesn't want Ino to worry, but how did she know that I knew about Itachi?

It seemed as though the Uchiha's found out about everything before I could tell them, Mikoto and Sai especially. We finished the majority of the planning for the ball by the time evening rolls around and Mikoto called for nearly twenty guards to come and create the thousands of invitations needed for the ball. With it just four days away, now, it seemed awfully short-notice to me, but who am I to question the royal family's decisions? When the sun started to set in the sky, I followed Ino back up to her room after helping the queen pick up the family room. Ino, never one for subtlety, questioned in an annoyed voice before we could even make it to the staircase on the second floor, "What are you doing? Don't you stay on this floor?" I hadn't told her exactly which room I was staying in, much less who I was staying in it with, but she did know that my room is on the second floor. I shrugged, "I thought it'd be nice to share a room again, like when we were kids. How about it?"

She snorted at me and waved her hand as if to shoo me, "No thanks! I'd like to enjoy the luxury of having that amazing room all to myself. Besides, what if Sai comes to visit me or something? Everything would be ruined if you were there." She has a point about the Sai thing. That would be very awkward to witness. I sighed, more panicked on the inside than I would let show, "Yeah, you're right. Well, good night then." The blond gave me a half-hearted wave before ascending the stairs to the third floor.

I watched on in jealousy until she was out of my sight, then turned to look at the closed door of Sasuke's room. Fear etches itself into my limbs and my hands clasp together in front of me. He hadn't confessed to being my attacker when I'd confronted him, but he hadn't denied it either. Would my accusing him push him past the edge and make him want to get rid of me quicker? Had I poked a sleeping beast?


	9. Chapter 9

No sooner than I'd approached Sasuke's room did the door open up to reveal the prince himself, glaring down at me with zero hints of his usual cocky smirk on his perfect lips. Honestly, I didn't know what to say or do so I stood there stupidly and stared up at him in fear. A large part of me felt bad for accusing him since he had gone out of his way to help me, but the more logical part of my mind told me not to trust a single soul in the castle until I knew the full truth. Despite his obvious anger at my distrust, Sasuke still stepped to the side to allow me entrance to his room. My legs shake slightly in dilemma.

What if he does end up being the one who's been attacking me and I return to his chambers once again? On the other hand, what if he's completely innocent and I'm making a terrible mistake? Hesitantly, I took a step toward the doorway. His dark eyes studied my every motion, a sleek eyebrow raising as I start to approach. My eyes lock onto his and I try desperately to read his hard gaze. Is he going to murder me?

His deep eyes held my own green ones for what felt like a year before he finally sighs and lightens up on his glare, looking down at the ground with his mouth in a serious line, "Come on, already. I'm not going to hurt you." As soon as he said it, I believed it. The vocalization of him defending himself of my accusations sliced all of my arguments into ribbons. My body relaxed as though it'd been placed into a hot bath and it seemed to move on it's own through the doorway and straight to the couch I'd been sleeping on for the past few nights. Sasuke follows me in, shutting the door behind him and locking it tight. I sit down and he stands in front of me expectantly. He seemed to guess that I'd have something else to say and he's correct. "The only way I'm staying in here is if you start being honest with me, Sasuke. My life is in very real danger and you keep lying right to my face when I ask you about it. I want answers."

His features became blank in a similar way that Sai's were and he takes a step toward me. I shoot to my feet and shoot a glare at him to not approach me any further until he decides to talk. "I can't." My glare falters slightly, "What do you mean you can't? You can't or you won't?" His eyes sparkle slightly with annoyance, but he quickly removes the emotion, "I can't or you'll be in much more danger." A chill ran down my spine and the small hairs on my arms stick up in fear. He seemed dead serious. Who or what in this building could be so terrifying that he can't even tell me? I studied him and noticed an uncharacteristic tenseness to his body as though he's extremely uncomfortable with the topic. My hand reaches out on instinct with the intent to comfort him, but he took a step back, "I meant it when I said you shouldn't get involved with any of the men here. That includes me."

My face heated up in embarrassment and I snatched my hand back. I hadn't even realized I'd reached out for him. The emotions that were swirling through my chest didn't make sense. Why would I care if Sasuke didn't want me to touch him? I hadn't lied to that Karin woman the other day. I wasn't really interested in Sasuke romantically, but it was mainly because I knew I wouldn't have a chance with him so I blocked those emotions out to begin with. It seemed now that I've started to get to know him just a little bit, those feelings are starting to peek their unwelcome little heads out. Intent to recover from my slip-up, I let out a scoff, "I'm just here to clean up your messes until my sentence is fulfilled and then I'll be out of your hair, Your Highness."

The title slipped out with a bitter sarcasm that I hadn't intended to let through, but I couldn't take it back once it was out. His blank face became annoyed quite quickly at my jab and he glared down at me, suddenly right in front of me. My neck ached as I had to look nearly straight up to see his face. One of his hands, much more calloused than I'd expected from a pampered prince, reached up in a flash to grab my elbow. The fear that had been expelled before entering the room suddenly returned in full force. "Don't get rude with me, Sakura. It's for your own good."

Anger started to bubble up in my chest and my glare soon matched his. I ripped my arm from his grip and pushed my hands roughly against his firm torso, "You don't get to decide what's good for me and what's not. You're not my father. Besides, I'm not so stupid as to believe you'd want to be friends with me. We have nothing in common." He didn't move away from me despite the pressure I'm putting into my hands and he soon enveloped my wrists gently yet firmly in his hands, leaning down slightly so I can clearly see the details of his modelesque face, "You and I have much more in common than you think, Haruno."

That was the first time he'd called me by my last name, so informal, and it did a lot to further my annoyance with him. A part of my wanted to hit him, but a much larger part of me wanted to run far away. My skin was burning under his grip and the intensity of his gaze was causing heat to pool in my lower abdomen, a feeling I was unfamiliar with but knew exactly what it meant. His mouth crept into that usual cocky smirk as if he could tell the effect he was having on me and I pulled my wrists from him, pushing past him to head into the bathroom for a quick bath.

Neither of us said anything for the rest of the evening for when I came back out of the bathroom a while later, he already appeared to be asleep. I tiptoed over to the couch and silently pouted to myself as I wrapped the soft comforter around me. My eyes drifted over to rest on Sasuke's sleeping face. He looked like a painting or statue since his appearance was virtually perfect. My heart started to beat a little faster as his lips parted slightly in his sleep and I tore my eyes away from him and rolled over to bury my face in my pillow. I can't let my attraction to the young prince distract me from my initial goals. I need to learn as much as I can about the behavior of those in the upper class and make it safely through my sentencing.

On top of that, now I have Ino to worry about. She'd definitely come to me if she noticed anything odd about the Uchiha's, right? I didn't really know because sometimes her judgement is overpowered by her obsession with attractive men. I decided then and there to do my best to ignore the Uchiha prince as best as I can and just focus on my sister and myself.

The next two days were filled with us ladies and even Mikoto's three children, frantically preparing the castle for the ball. I stuck to Ino as best I could, but found it hard considering she was working hard on preparing the queen's dress and I was needed for other things. Come Saturday morning, the morning of the ball, the palace looked like a completely different place. Gone were the gothic-style accents and here were cobalt blue and blood red decorations.

Many of Mikoto's favorite black curtains and rugs were placed in storage to make the castle more appealing to the average person. I thought perhaps it wasn't good to hide who they really were from the public, but also understood that they want to leave a good impression on their kingdom. Mikoto had even purchased a grand chandelier, made of solid gold and chock-full of glittering diamonds and only the brightest of lights to brighten up the large ball room. I held onto the bottom of one of one of the large ladders as one of the guards stood on it's top step so they could hang the chandelier.

Madara was holding another one a yard or so away from me and was attempting to chat with one of the many attractive female staff that Mikoto had hired to work for the ball. I couldn't help but snicker to myself as he got turned down time after time, most likely threatened upon hire about flirting with any of the Royal Family members. Madara shot me a playful glare, "Is it something I'm doing wrong?" I shook my head at him, knowing he knew exactly why they were ignoring him. Sai strided by with a large box full of what looked like even more gold and diamond miniature chandeliers for the other rooms, pausing when he noticed Madara and I to greet us, "Ah, hello Uncle, Miss Sakura. How are you two today?"

My smile was tense as I bowed in greeting to him. He'd been even weirder than normal since the night I was most recently attacked. It was a surprise that he was greeting me now, to be honest. Every time I saw him he was either entertaining Ino or seemingly avoiding me. I didn't care too much about him avoiding me as long as he doesn't try to hurt Ino. The blond had told me last night that he'd asked her to attend the ball as his date and she'd accepted. The fact that his last love was pretty much identical to her and that may be the only reason he's interested in her didn't seem to bother her. In fact, she'd shrugged her shoulders when I'd brought it up, claiming that all of that was just details. The other girl is gone and she's here now and that's all that matters.

Sasuke and I haven't really spoken much since the other night when we fought, but all seemed normal. We silently shared each other's company when we were in his room together and he's always nearby when we're not. I glanced behind Sai to see Sasuke in tow with a similar box in his muscular arms, his expression bored. My lips curved into a happy smile on instinct and his expression lightened only slightly in acknowledgement of my presence before returning to his previous boredom. "Our Queen sure knows how to decorate for a party, doesn't she?" Sai nodded in agreement to his uncle's remark, but Sasuke just rolled his eyes. Sai turned his attention back to me and that blank smile appeared on his handsome face, "Miss Sakura, I just wanted to quickly ensure you are alright with me inviting your sister to be my date this evening."

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, uncomfortable under his unwavering gaze, "Um, yes sir. As long as you treat her-!" The ladder I was holding onto started to tip towards me and everything happened at once. Sasuke quickly pushed the ladder back down, standing not a few inches in front of me with anger seething out of his very being. He knocked it back down with maybe too much force and the militia member on top of it nearly toppled off. The man climbed down and bowed to the prince, finally aware of what happened, "My apologies, your highness." Sasuke grabbed the front of the un-armored member by his shirt and glared into his eyes with an anger I still wasn't used to seeing, "You idiot! Someone could've been hurt."

Sai, who was struggling to hold both his box and Sasuke's since his brother had tossed his box on top of his when he noticed the ladder, shook his head, "Alas, my brother's notorious temper is showing." The many attractive young woman also working in the large ballroom were watching and whispering excitedly with each other. I bravely placed a hand on Sasuke's arm, "It's my fault for letting go of the ladder, sir. He didn't do anything wrong so please don't punish him." Sasuke's grip on the man's shirt loosened up slightly before he eventually let it go, glare still flared up and burning into the terrified militia's eyes. If you'd asked me a week ago if I would ever stand up for a member of that damned militia, I would've told you there's not a chance in Hell, but look at me now, tensely bowing in front of the sexy Sasuke Uchiha for the world to see. "Don't let this happen again."

He was speaking, still, to the man. Said person nodded frantically before climbing back up the ladder to finish his job to the best of his ability now that'd he'd been visibly shaken. Madara laughed loudly, breaking the tension in the room, "You can count on the Uchiha family to keep our guests entertained, that's for sure!" The ladies in the room all giggled awkwardly, more by obligation than anything. After a moment, the room went back to normal and Sasuke turned to accept his box back from his brother and stride off toward whatever destination he had without even a glance in my direction. I held onto the ladder firmly, not wanting to make that mistake again and put the man in even more danger of punishment.

Sai clicked his tongue disapprovingly at his brother's behavior before following in his steps with a much lighter aura about him. Madara looked over at me and shrugged, "We did warn you he had a temper, didn't we?" I nodded with a small frown, still shaken by the sharp lines of Sasuke's enraged face. He looked so different when he was going off on the militia member. I couldn't put my tongue on it, but something about his face had changed. Not wanting to cause anymore trouble, I focused back on my job at hand until the chandelier was, at last, in place and hooked up. I helped some of the maids set up the lengthy drink table amongst other things. Before I could tell what was going on, everyone in the room was bowing and I followed suit before realizing why. My eyes finally landed on the queen, still in one of her usual black evening gowns and looking as flawless as always as her dark eyes took in the room.

They landed on me and her red lips lifted into a soft smile, "Sakura, dear, your duties for the day have been fulfilled. You have some guests waiting for you in the family room." I nodded at her, bowing once more before silently scampering off to see who could possibly be here so early, considering the ball doesn't start until seven in the evening and it was only nearly three in the afternoon. I smoothed my hair out as I climbed up the large stairs, wanting to look appropriate regardless of who was waiting. When I reached the family room, familiar blonde hair met my eyes first. I rushed into Naruto's waiting arms with tears in my eyes, "Naruto!"

We hugged each other tightly for a moment before we simultaneously pulled apart and I greeted the other person in the room, Kiba Inuzuka. I accepted his friendly hug, unsure as to why he was waiting with Naruto for me instead of Ino, but not rude enough to ask him. When we pulled apart, I finally got a good look at Naruto. He'd obviously tried, and failed, to tame his spiky blonde hair and had the one good outfit he had on. It's the one Ino had made him a few months back as a birthday present. Even if she didn't return his feelings, the two were still friends and we've all been through a lot together. "Are your parents coming?" Naruto nodded with a frown, "Yeah, they stayed behind to try and convince your mother to come one more time." Anxiety rolled through me. What if she does come and causes a scene in front of everyone? He seemed to read my expression and put up his hands, "I told them not to, but they won't listen. I don't think she'll show."

His baby blue eyes looked past my shoulder suddenly and locked into a glare. The look was unsettling on Naruto's usually always-cheerful face. I swirled around to see Sasuke approaching with his dark eyes set into the same enraged glare I'd seen earlier when the ladder'd almost fallen. I turned on my heel to stand in front of Naruto, "Sasuke, this is my best friend Naruto. He's the one I told you about, remember?" Sasuke's glare lightened up ever so slightly, but not completely as his gaze moved over to an unassuming Kiba. I sighed in annoyance, "This is Kiba Inuzuka, a childhood friend of Ino and me. He likes Ino, that's why he's here." Kiba sputtered in embarrassment, "Hey! Don't say it so casually!" His dark-tanned face was bright red.

I shrugged, "Sorry!" Sasuke finally stood just a few feet in front of us all, arms crossed angrily, "You shouldn't be alone with men like this." He looked the two up and down in disgust. Anger rolled over my body at his lack of manners, but Naruto stepped around me before I could stop him, "What's that supposed to mean, pretty boy? You gotta problem?" Sasuke's arms uncrossed and I hurried in between the two, a hand on either of their chests, "Hey! That's enough! What's gotten into you two?" I turned to Naruto, "This is Sasuke Uchiha, prince of Konoha, you idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Naruto's face paled. I then turned to Sasuke, who was still glaring at Naruto, "And you don't get to treat my friends like that just because you're a prince." The young man's glare slid over to meet my own and his voice was gruff as he argued, "What makes you think I have to listen to you, Haruno?"

He didn't wait for my answer and turned to walk angrily from the room. We all waited for him to be out of sight before releasing a collective sigh of relief. I turned back to Naruto, who was still trying to regain his color, "You're so lucky you have me, you arse." Naruto's frown slipped into one of his usual toothy smiles and he let out a childish laugh, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. I heard Ino's excited voice before I saw here and Kiba's demeanor visibly perked up when she turned the corner into the room. She was being followed by Sai, who was carrying a long garment bag for her, his obsession with her clear on his face. When Ino's gaze landed on Kiba, she froze in her steps, "Oh!"

Kiba approached her with his arms open and she gingerly accepted his hug. I watched in horror as Sai's usually blank expression turned to one similar to Sasuke's in jealousy. Unlike his brother, however, he didn't make a scene and simply stared at the pair as they parted. Ino's face was pale in panic and she looked at me for help. I shrugged, unsure of what I could possibly do for her now. If she'd given me some warning that she was coming, I could've done something, but not now. "Kiba! How are you?" Kiba's eyes pretty much had the cliche little hearts in them and he looked every bit like a dog greeting it's owner after they'd been parted for a long time, "It feels like we haven't seen each other in so long, huh Ino? I've been missing you these past few days. You look beautiful, of course. Are the Uchihas treating you alright?"

Sai finally stepped forward, offering his free hand for a handshake, "I am one of the Uchihas you speak of. My name is Sai." His expression had reverted back to it's usual blankness, but his eyes were still burning with emotion. Kiba uneasily accepted his handshake, "Kiba Inuzuka. Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking care of my Ino here." Sai's eyebrows rose and Ino's eyes squeezed shut in dread. Naruto and I did our best to stay silent and just watch the drama unfold. "Oh, your Ino?" Kiba paused for a long moment, obviously weighing his options on standing up for himself to a royal before finally replying, "Judging by your reaction, I'm assuming that's not the case anymore..." He looked over at Ino and she shook her head at him with an apologetic frown.

Empathy filled me at the visible diminishing of Kiba's excitement. Even Ino looked like she felt bad for leading the Inuzuka boy on. Sai's glare disappeared and he patted Kiba's arm casually, "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Kiba Inuzuka." Kiba kept his back turned to us as the two slipped through the doorway on the other side of the room, no doubt headed to the Queen's room to deliver her dress. When they were finally gone, he rejoined us with an embarrassed red hue on his cheek. He plopped down next to Naruto on the plush couch and I glanced past the blonde to give him an apologetic look, "...You know how Ino is, Kiba. I'm sorry."

He nodded, his chocolate brown eyes focused on the large family painting above the fireplace. Naruto leaned back and placed an arm over each of our shoulders, "Man, I hate every Uchiha I've met so far. This is gonna be a long night." Kiba nodded in agreement and I just shook my head in disbelief, praying to the God that I no longer believe in that we all somehow make it through the night without incident.


	10. Chapter 10

By the time five o'clock in the evening had arrived, Ino and Mikoto had arrived to tear me away from hanging out with Naruto and Kiba so we could all go get dressed. Ino had made herself a gown after finishing Mikoto's and it was just as beautiful as you'd expect it to be. It was a dark purple and quite revealing compared to many young women's dresses these days. It was a two-piece, the top disconnected from the skirt, and flowed nicely around her like flower petals. The top was tied back around her neck and there was just enough cloth to cover her breasts in the front, just a simple inch wide cloth wrapping around the back to hold it all up. She straightened her wavy hair out and it fell seductively over one of her eyes once in a while, but it seemed like she may have planned it that way so Sai would have an excuse to romantically sweep her hair behind her ear.

I shook my head in disbelief as I watched my twin begin putting on some simple make-up at Mikoto's vanity. The queen herself was in the dressing room putting on the dress Ino'd slaved over for the first time. I was waiting patiently for my turn to use the dressing room, worried that the beautiful dress Mikoto was giving me to wear would be wasted on a body as plain as mine. Ino glanced over at me with a smile on her glossy lips, "So is Naruto your date tonight, then?" I shake my head, used to her trying to convince me to get with Naruto even if it's just to get him to leave her alone, "No, we're just going as friends. I don't have a date."

I'm not jealous of Ino having a date because this is how it's been since we hit puberty. Ino's always had someone to lean on and I've always had Naruto, but he and I agreed long ago that we're not going to date. Of course I find him cute and even sometimes handsome, but he's very much not my type. He has too much energy and wants to constantly be doing something together while I prefer to hang out and be more casual. I don't mind doing stuff once in a while, but I can't stand constantly being out and about. I guess I like comfort more than he does. Ino rose to her feet as the curtain to the dressing room slid open. Mikoto stepped out and looked every bit of perfection as she usually does and more. The dress fell gracefully on her body in a way that made it's low cut-ness seem elegant instead of risque. Her make up was done earlier and she was completely finished and ready for the ball in front of us. Ino bowed in shock, "You look so beautiful!"

Mikoto waved a dismissive hand at her, pulling her back up gently with one of her hands on Ino's arm, "My dear, you've done such a wonderful job constructing this dress. I may have to consider hiring you as my personal designer!" Ino's ears perked up and she glanced past the queen to meet my gaze with her own eyes full of hope, "I'd be honored if you decide to, Ma'am!" Mikoto chuckled lightly before turning to face me, "Alright, Sakura, it's your turn to get dressed! You may need some help getting that dress on." I nodded silently, still not completely trusting the queen after the silent threat she'd sent my way the other night. She motioned for me to go ahead and undress in the dressing room, which I obeyed in silence. Once the curtain is closed behind us, Mikoto waits politely for me to undress.

I shouldn't be nervous because she saw me naked the first day I was here, but I still am and gingerly begin removing my clothes. Mikoto's eyes were trained on my every move and her face showed no emotion which put me even more on edge. Once I'm in just my underwear, she unzipped the long garment bag and spoke in her usual kind voice, "Oh, you can't wear a bra with this dress, Dear." My face burns hot as I unhooked my bra and slid it off to fall down my arm and on top of the small pile of clothes on the floor. She looked over me in a similar way as she had when I first had to undress in front of her and her eyes lit up with delight, "My oh my, Sakura! You've really filled out since you've been eating well here. You look like a young woman now. I'm sure you'll steal the attention of many men this evening." I wanted to die with embarrassment. Did that mean I looked like a little boy when I was starving? I can't be surprised since breasts are mainly developed with fats and I had none on my body then, healthy or unhealthy fat alike.

I turned to look at my reflection in the tall mirror to our side and did notice a very slight difference in my body, but not so much so that it warrented the reaction she'd given. She offered me another kind smile before pulling the gorgeous dress out of it's holder. It was just as breath-taking as the first time I'd seen it and the fear that I wouldn't do it justice still holds a place in my nerves. She helps me slide it over my head, avoiding messing up my already done hair and make-up. She then zips up the back, which is just a small zipper on my lower back, and buttons it behind my neck. She then fixed the few strands of my hair that must've been messed up from putting on the dress. My hair is in an intricate braid with a few delicately curled strands hanging loosely to frame my face. She smiled when she finished, taking a step back to look at my full image, "You look stunning, Sakura, like royalty." Ino rushed into the dressing room, throwing the curtain to the side and freezing in her tracks when her eyes land on me. Her baby blues widen in surprise, "Wow Sakura...you look amazing! Here I was being surprised at how you looked when I first got here, but I didn't know you could clean up this nicely!"

Mikoto turned me to the side so I could finally get a glimpse of what I looked like and I looked at my reflection in confusion. Other than the gorgeous dress, styled hair, and some simple make-up, I felt as though I looked pretty close to what I normally do. The two girls helped me put on my shoes, which were pastel purple heels that added about three inches to my height. Mikoto and Ino both had given me a few short lessons on walking in heels over the past few days, but I still felt wary about them. Mikoto pulled Ino over to stand next to me so she could see us together and put her hands to her cheeks in admiration, "Oh my, girls, you both look so lovely! I somehow feel proud as though you were my own daughters." Ino and I both bow in thanks to her kind words, glancing at each other every now and then in shock.

Ino has always been attractive, as I've previously stated, but now that she's been able to express her fashions and taste with higher quality product, she seemed flawless! There was a grunt from the doorway of Mikoto's giant closet and we all turned to see the king himself standing with his arms crossed as he looked his wife up and down. Both Ino and I bowed back down and stayed down in the presence of our town's ruler. Mikoto strode over to her husband with a smile on her lips, pressing a chaste kiss on his frowning lips before doing a feminine twirl for him, "Do you like my attire, my love?" He gave a curt nod after a moments pause, accepting another kiss from his doting wife before finally speaking up, "Guests are beginning to arrive. We must assume our positions of duty."

Mikoto looked out of a window behind her husband in their room and gasped at the sight of the sun already setting, meaning it was around half past six in the evening. The royal pair regarded us one last time before heading out of their room, Mikoto letting us know to take our time finishing up and to be sure to closet the bedroom door behind us when we leave so if there are wondering guests they won't feel welcome to enter. Ino turns to face me and touches up my make up for a moment before taking a deep breath. I started feeling a vibe from her that I'd yet to experience and that's nervousness. She meets my knowing gaze and sighs loudly, "I really like this guy, Saku, and not just because he's hot. He really listens to me when I talk instead of just pretending to so he has a chance to get laid. He's so kind and gentle with me, like he's scared I'm going to break." She put her hands on my shoulders, "What if I mess this up?"

I reach up to pull her into a hug, "You've got to be kidding me, Ino. You could probably show up to this dance in a paper sack and he'll still think you're the most beautiful girl there. You can't see how he looks at you when you're not looking." She pulled back and gave me a small smile, "Really?" I nodded, completely honest with her. I can't believe I'm trying to get her to like Sai even more when it's possible he attacked me the other night. A part of me felt like it wasn't him, but I haven't gotten to know him as much as I have Sasuke so I can't be for sure. Speaking of Sasuke, how will he act during the ball since I yelled at him in front of Naruto earlier? Surely he'll ignore me or even go out of his way to avoid my presence. A sliver of jealousy tainted my heart as I watched Ino slip her own white heels on with expertise. It's not like I wanted Sasuke to ask me to be his date, but it would've been nice to have someone show interest in me.

I shook my head of the negative thoughts. Since when do I care about relationships? This was so unlike me! We head out of the bedroom arm in arm and head downstairs slowly, mixing in with the crowd that was heading through the foyer towards the ballroom downstairs. Everyone was dressed to the nines, intent on leaving the best of impressions on the royal family. Naruto and Kiba met up with us just before we started descending the final set of stairs, Kiba staying on Naruto's other side in order to avoid Ino. The blonde boy smiled brightly at both of us, "You two look amazing! Who knew you had boobs at all, Sakura!" I elbowed him roughly in the ribs. He coughed between laughs and allowed me to wrap my arm in his since he was my partner for the ball.

Ino wished us farewell for the moment and went off to find her date. I saw Kiba's eyes following her sadly through the crowd. Even with all of these beautifully dressed woman around, Ino still stood out as even more attractive. I felt a tap on my shoulder as we finally reached the shining linoleum of the ballroom floor and turned to see the familiar yet unwelcome face of Karin. She was wearing a blood red floor length dress that left very little to the imagination. It was made mainly of a see-through mesh, but she had a slightly darker red lace layed thicker over the necessities that needed covered. She towered over me as it is, but when she was in heels as tall as hers, she was almost as tall as Naruto! I greeted her politely with a quick bow, not able to stop and bow completely or we'd be trampled by the many people walking behind us. She glanced over at Naruto and winked at me, "So you weren't lying when you said Sasuke isn't your type!"

I looked back at my unaware partner and understood immediately what she meant. Physically, the two were insanely different. Naruto and Kiba were talking about some fighting class they were interested in taking and it was clear to those around us that Naruto was a very out-going and loud person. I nodded, playing along with her because the last thing I need is for her to see me as a rival and try to fight with me over Sasuke. She walked casually beside me as we approached the middle of the giant ballroom where we'd all be stopping to wait for the Uchihas to welcome us. "He's pretty hot, though! If he were higher class, even I'd be willing to taste him!" I looked at her a little funny for her choice of words, my face tinting a slight red at her insinuation. She looked shaken suddenly and put her hands up in defense, "Oh! I won't do anything to him since you're with him, though, no worries! My eyes are only on Sasuke!"

I gave her a polite smile, choosing not to reply to her because I really don't like her that much and don't want to chance accidentally letting her know that. For the next few moments, the room filled with what seemed like the majority of the entire town's residents both poor and rich alike, until finally the royal family rose from their seated positions behind the drink table. The room, thankfully, was more than large enough to house us all. There was room enough for everyone to dance and have a good time when the time comes. Militia members, fully armored and ready to protect their targets with their lives, lined almost every inch of the walls with their eyes trained on the lively crowd. Mikoto spoke for her husband once everyone had finally stopped applauding them, "Citizens of Konoha, welcome to the Uchiha Palace. Our family welcomes you with open arms and honest hearts!"

The crowd cheered once again for their queen, only silencing back down when she raised a hand to tell them to. Fugaku finally raises to his feet and begins his speech, "For far too long this family has sat idle while issues arise in town and we have no excuse to offer, but do have a million apologies for those who have suffered on our behalf." The crowd silences completely as the aura of the room becomes more serious and even almost a little sad. "Let this party be a token of our regret and expect some positive changes to occur in the near future, including changes to the class system." My heart dropped in my chest. Really!? Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes and I looked up to see Naruto looking down at me with a similar expression of disbelief.

He whispered, "What did you do to them, Sakura!" I shrugged excitedly, listening above the murmurs that had erupted in the room in case the king had more words to share. He bowed for his subjects before sitting back down and Mikoto bowed as well before speaking, "I'd like to introduce my family quickly before the festivities begin. My name is Mikoto and I am your queen. To my left is Madara Uchiha, brother to our King. Finally, to my right are my three sons and their dates." I noticed Ino standing next to Sai with a bright red face as he held an arm around her waist for the whole town to see. An unfamiliar woman with dark blond hair stood next to Itachi with a blank face. To my surprise, a red-headed woman stood proudly next to Sasuke. I glanced over to see Karin glaring angrily at the woman, "Who's that whore?!" It's clear to both of us that Sasuke obviously has a thing for red-heads.

"My eldest son is Itachi and his date is his fiance Lady Temari from our neighboring kingdom of Sunagakure." Cheers erupted for the couple and I stood in confusion. He's engaged?! How have I not heard of this before? The woman and Itachi bowed for the citizens before sitting back down. They didn't interact in the slightest throughout the whole introduction so I got the feeling it was an arranged marriage. "These are the twins, Sasuke and Sai, escorting their dates Ladies Kayuya and Ino of our wonderful home Konoha." The two couples bowed respectfully before taking their seats once again. Once the crowd simmered down, Mikoto put her hands out from her sides, "Please, have a wonderful time on us and help yourselves to refreshments. All we ask is that there is no violence inside of the palace. Thank you very much for attending our ball. Enjoy!" A small but extravagant orchestra began playing from a pedestal in the middle of the room and before long people were either moving to get a drink from the many maids and butlers roaming the room or dancing with their partners.

Karin murmured something under her breath about doing something about Sasuke's date before disappearing into the crowd. I could've followed her red hair easily, but decided that the less I knew about the trouble she was to cause, the better. I turned to ask Naruto if he wanted to get drinks only to see him frozen on the spot with his eyes trained on a specific spot in the crowd closer to where the Uchihas were previously seated. I followed his gaze and felt my lips turn into a smile when I spotted none other than Hinata Hyuga standing quietly beside an older man that could only be her father. Her pretty hair was in loose curls and her dress was a pastel yellow and elegant, but fairly conservative compared to the rest of the ladies around. It had off-shoulders and three-quarter sleeves with a mermaid style bottom where it was tight against her body until just under her knees, where it flared out into a short train.

It seemed to be made of silk with elegant lace on top of it. I squeezed his arm and he tore his gaze from the girl he was obviously smitten with, "Let's go greet her. I need to thank her again for helping me." He nodded blankly as his eyes lay on her once again and he couldn't think straight. Once we were a few yards away, Hinata finally spotted us approaching and made a motion for us to wait and then pointed covertly at her father. It seemed that he wouldn't approve of her speaking with us just yet so we waved down a maid and got drinks while we waited for her to sneak away. Naruto took a big gulp of the clear liquid, eyes never leaving the Hyuga girl.

Her face was red as she clearly pretended not to notice him so her father wouldn't see them interacting. The man seemed to be introducing her to other high-classed people, but hadn't smiled once since I'd layed eyes on him. He seemed strict. If he was anything like her cousin that was the judge at my trial, it wouldn't surprise me if that's what made Hinata try to run away. He probably wasn't kind to her.

I took a sip of my drink and nearly choked at the burning in my throat. There was a snicker behind us and we both turned to see Madara greeting us. He, too, had a drink in his hand but it appeared to be red wine instead of the champagne we were drinking, "Miss Sakura, don't tell me you expected us to serve cheap spirits to our lovely town?" Naruto bowed respectfully to the man, knowing this time that this was one of the Uchihas since he'd just been introduced by Mikoto. Madara's eyes locked onto the blonde and his kind smile faltered for a moment, "I apologize, young man. I seem to have forgotten my manners. I'm Madara Uchiha."

He reached forward with his free hand to shake Naruto's and I noticed him squeeze my partner's hand and Naruto wince with a glare, "I am Naruto Uzumaki." Madara released his hand and looked back over at me with his usual grin, "Do you think your date would allow me to steal a dance?" I glanced over at Naruto and his eyes were still locked into a glare at the royal. I shook my head with a smile at Naruto's temper. He's similar to me in that he is unhappy with how our town has been run, but he's not as good at controlling himself. "He won't mind at all, besides, he has his eyes on someone else." Madara tutted teasingly at Naruto, "There can't be a woman as beautiful as you here, Miss Sakura. It's his loss."

He led me away from Naruto and out onto the dance floor as I struggled to walk in my heeled shoes while also dodging other dancing couples. Finally, he found a spot he liked near the staircase and politely lay a hand on my lower back, guiding one of my hands up to his shoulder and holding the other in his own larger one. My face felt slightly hot at how close we were, but that was only because I'm not familiar with this type of thing. Sure, Ino and I had pretended to ballroom dance when we were kids, but I'd never really learned how to properly do it. After a few moments of following the older man's lead, I accidentally stepped on his toe and he laughed, waving over the butler who was holding our drinks for us so he could take a sip of his wine, "Don't fret, Sakura. You'll learn with practice. Here, drink."

He handed me my glass and motioned for me to finish it off even though I'd only taken a sip. I did as requested, wincing at the burning in my throat after swallowing it. "Bring the lady another, kind sir, this time make it something sweeter." He handed his glass back to the young man and then re-took my hand into his so we could continue dancing. My face was red with embarrassment and he chuckled light-heartedly, "After a few drinks, you'll loosen up and have a good time. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're safe." I searched his face and found no hints of ill-intent and nodded cautiously. Perhaps I should try to just have a good time for once and not worry about being attacked.

There's no way someone could get to me with this many militia around, not to mention the sheer amount of witnesses there'd be. A small smile graced my lips, "I think I will, then." He matched my smile and we continued to dance for a few moments before I was nudged from behind by someone and knocked forward into the Uchiha's chest. I glanced back to see a couple dancing, not even noticing that they'd run into me and frowned. When I moved to take a step back and apologize, Madara's grip tightened just enough to let me know he didn't want me to move. I froze uncertainly, "Madara?" He was silent for a moment before removing his hands from me altogether, "My apologies, Sakura. I just wanted to compliment you on your perfume. You smell lovely and I selfishly wanted to enjoy it for a moment more."

Before I could respond, the butler from earlier returned with Madara's glass refilled and a tall glass of something for me. The royal took both glasses, handing mine to me with an encouraging grin, "Oh, he chose a good one for you! You'll like that one. Go ahead, taste it." I cautiously took a sip of the pink-tinted drink and felt it tingle on my taste buds. He was right. This one was amazing! It didn't taste like alcohol at all! He let out a small chuckle before addressing the butler, "I want you to bring her as many of those as she requests this evening." The young man nodded before wordlessly moving away to give us space. We walked casually over to the seats that the Uchihas were in, sipping on our drinks and greeting those who spoke to us.

When my eyes scanned the row of chairs, I noticed both twins were nowhere to be seen as was the case with their dates. Mikoto rose from her chair to give me a small hug, "Oh, Darling, every time I see you in that dress I get happy all over again. I'd feared that dress would never see the light of day!" I smiled gratefully to her, "Thank you, Ma'am. I'm grateful for all the things you and your family have done for me since my arrival. Given the reason for my being here, I could understand it if you weren't quite as welcoming." Mikoto and Madara shared looks of dismissal, "You're young and made a foolish mistake, Dear. I remember the trouble our King and I used to get into when we were your age." She looked back to her husband and smiled. The slightest hint of a smirk teased at the corner of his lips, but he chose to keep his eyes trained on the dance floor, watching over his subjects like a hawk. She looked past her husband and gasped, motioning for Itachi and his fiance to come over.

They did so silently and she pulled the young woman forward, "I forgot to introduce you two to each other. Sakura, this is Temari Subaku. She and Itachi are engaged to be married to strengthen the alliance between our two countries." I bowed respectfully to the beautiful woman, who looked down at me in silence. Her eyes were a forest green and her skin a very healthy tan. She seemed to be a few years older than me, around Itachi's age, which made sense since they're to be married. "Please to meet you, Ma'am." The woman gave me a curt nod before speaking to the queen, "I would like to introduce her to my siblings." Mikoto's smile widened, "Of course, Dear. We'll plan for a dinner in the coming week. For now, let's just enjoy the evening." The blond then turned and walked past her fiance to retake her seat with a blank face. Itachi gave me a blank stare for a moment before taking a seat next to her.

Madara chuckled lightly to my side, "Well, the two certainly are similar in demeanor." Mikoto laughed casually, "Yes, I suppose they are. Itachi is the one who came up with the idea to begin with so hopefully they get along fine." I glanced past her to see Itachi staring at me from his seat and quickly averted my gaze back to the queen in hopes he didn't notice. Ever since he'd yelled at me in his room, I'd been avoiding him. I still believe his face had changed when he'd gotten so angry, not to mention the crimes I know of that he's committed. Does Temari know of what he's done? Is she so stoic because he's attempted to do something bad to her, as well? I chanced another glance at the pair only to be shaken by the sight of empty seats. Where had they gone so quickly? My eyes scanned the crowd and didn't see any Uchihas at all. Were they all ditching the ball so they don't have to speak with the citizens? I absent-mindedly killed the rest of the liquid in my glass as I continued to search the crowd for familiar faces, noticing Naruto and Hinata dancing as far away from her father as possible. "Ah, Sakura! How are you enjoying your drink?" The queen adressed me. I swallowed my mouthful and nodded politely, "It tastes wonderful, Ma'am."

Madara took the glass from my hand and slid a full one into it's place. I glanced over and saw that same butler walking away to rid of the empty glass. "Of course, dear. It's actually my favorite champagne. I believe Mina had loved it as well, may she rest in peace. We have it imported from the town of Nadeshiko." I've never heard of that place, but didn't want to sound uneducated so simply nodded in acknowledgement as I sipped on my champagne. The king rose to his feet suddenly and Mikoto turned to grab his hand, "Please excuse us, you two." We both bid them goodbye as the King surprised everyone and led his wife out to the floor for a dance. The citizens left a large space around them as they danced, most likely in fear the militia would interfere if they got too close. My face begins to feel a little warm as the alcohol I've been drinking no doubt starts setting in and I'm honestly feeling pretty good. "Well, Miss Sakura, shall I return you to your date?" I look over to the floor where I'd last seen Naruto and Hinata dancing and notice Kiba and Naruto standing against the wall talking casually. Hinata was back at her father's side. I nod to Madara and he pulls my free hand up to wrap into his arm.

Once we're in the middle of the floor, the butler that's been serving me approaches Madara timidly before whispering into the Royal's ear. Madara's eyes widen slightly and he releases my hand from his arm, "My apologies for my manners, Sakura, but can you make it to your date alone? There's something in the kitchen that requires my attention." I nod with a small smile, "Of course. Thank you for the dances." He kisses my hand politely before turning to follow the butler out of the crowd. I sip on my drink happily, swaying to the music as I twist and turn my way around dancers. The Uchiha's aren't on my mind, for once. All I care about is how amazing this drink is and how relaxed it's making me feel. My nerves haven't been this calm in years and I wanted to cherish it. I am pulled from my thoughts when I go to take another sip of my drink and find I've already finished it, so I go to look for a replacement, only to have a maid replace it in an instant.

I gave her an odd look and she bowed, "Lord Madara told me to serve you, Ma'am." My face heated up at how formally she was addressing me, but I thanked her and took a sip of the new drink anyway. I wonder how much a bottle of this champagne costs? I turn to continue trying to make it through the crowd only to come face to face with Karin. She spoke over the loud music, "Come with me!" Her hand wrapped around my free wrist tightly and she all but dragged me through the remainder of the crowd until we were finally climbing the stairs to the first floor. I tripped once we were on the ground floor, thankfully not spilling my drink, but one of my shoes fell off. I glared down at the annoying item before kicking off the other one and getting back to my feet with no shoes at all. Karin re-grabbed my wrist and a small giggle slipped past my lips as she rushed us through hallway after hallway.

The colors around me seemed more saturated than usual and my whole body felt warm and comfortable. My vision was unclear from time to time, but I didn't care all that much because I was feeling too good. We finally came to a stop and I frowned when I realized my glass was empty once again, "Hey...where's the drink lady?" Karin shushed me and I frowned at her. I finally looked around and noticed we were in Sasuke's room. She pulled me along until we were in front of his wardrobe. After opening the doors and pushing me inside, she climbed in next to me and shut the doors all the way but a crack. I whispered in confusion, "What are we doing?" She shushed me just in time for the bathroom door to open and Sasuke to come out and lay on his bed. His tuxedo jacket was gone and his shirt was unbuttoned, but his pants and shoes were still in place. So he left the party to come lay down?

Just as I was about to climb out of the closet to chastise him, another figure came from the bathroom. The red-headed girl called Tayuya. she was wearing nothing but her underwear and his tuxedo jacket, breasts visible to both Karin and I from the small crack in the wardrobe. I suddenly realized what Karin had dragged me into and felt horrible. We're spying on Sasuke. I move to open the door and apologize for intruding, but Karin clamps a hand over my mouth and puts her other arm in front of my body to stop me. The small sliver of light coming into the small space was enough for me to see the enraged look on her features when Tayuya climbs onto the bed to straddle Sasuke. I can't tear my eyes away as they kiss, trapped in a haze of drunkenness and curiosity.

My breath hitches in my throat when she reaches down to rub the front of Sasuke's pants and the pair suddenly stops and both look in our direction. Karin's grip on me tightens in fear and I still just want to leave and find another drink. Sasuke stops the woman from coming to look and pulls her back down on top of him, pressing his lips against hers before moving slowly into a sitting position. Soon, he's picked her up and her legs are wrapped around his torso as he carries her back into the bathroom and shuts the door behind them. I can hear her beginning to moan almost the instant the door is latched and Karin wastes no time opening the door and pulling me out of the room in a hurry. Once we were back on the ground floor, she slapped me across the face, "You dumb bitch, you almost gave us away. What are you, a virgin? Have you never seen two people being intimate before?" Anger boiled in my blood at being smacked and I was rearing up to hit her right back when suddenly an arm was around my waste. I looked over to see Itachi glaring down at Karin, "Leave Miss Haruno alone, Karin. She's not interested in your schemes."

Karin's eyes widened in fright at Itachi's glare and she wordlessly scurried off into the ball room. I waited until she was gone before pushing him roughly away from me. It seemed like he let me push him and moved away, "You're drinking too much, Sakura." The anger was still there and I glared up at him, "Don't ever touch me again." Even if I was tipsy and livid, I still had enough sense about me to get away from him and headed down the stairs slowly so I wouldn't fall. When my bare feet hit the cold floor of the ball room, the maid from earlier arrived to hand me another glass of champagne. Where was my empty one, again? I accepted it happily and flounced over to Naruto, who was still standing with Kiba against the far wall of the room. The blonde caught sight of me and broke into laughter, meeting me a few feet away from where he was previously standing, "Someone's having a good time!"

I laughed and quickly chugged the entire glass. His eyes widened and he laughed again when I wrapped my arms around his waist in a friendly hug, "Whoa, Sakura. How much have you had?" He hugged me back lightly before looking down at me in concern, "Where are your shoes?" Panic struck me. Oh no! I'd forgotten that the shoes I'd kicked off were Mikoto's! She'll be so upset if they get lost or stolen. I pulled out of his arms and absently accepted yet another glass from the maid as I scanned the room until my eyes caught the sight of my abandoned shoes at the top of the stairs across the room. "Sakura, maybe you should slow down..." I smacked his hand away when he tried to take my glass and shot him a dirty look, "Can't I have a good time, just this once?" He froze and nodded in agreement, "Of course, but there are too many people around for you to get trashed, Sakura."

I rolled my eyes at him before rushing into the crowd before he could stop me. Giggles slipped past my lips at my cleverness and soon I was lost in the dance floor. The orchestra was taking a break and a live band was playing for a while so it was much louder in the room. I danced alone for a few moments, in a trance of sorts as I gulped down my drink greedily. Someone grabbed my elbow and I nearly toppled over. The many drinks I'd been downing suddenly caught up with me and my vision doubled. I turned to see who was pretty much dragging me out of the crowd, but could only see that they were a male since they weren't in a dress. It had to be Naruto since I'd just run away from him. We were soon at the bottom of the stairs and beginning to climb them when I tripped and fell to my knees on the steps. The familiar sting of an on-coming bruise met me, but in my drunkenness all I could do was laugh. I heard the rumble of a man's voice speak, but couldn't make out what they'd said in the loud room. I looked up to look for him but was too dizzy and felt confused, "Help me, you idiot."

My voice didn't sound like my own and I couldn't help but giggle at it. Naruto pulled me to my feet and picked me up bridal style. I rested my head against his chest and smiled. Naruto's such a good friend. He helps my family out and even saves me when I'm drunk. I hope he and Hinata end up being together so he can finally be happy. We were moving for a long time before I felt something soft under me. My eyes searched around and I noticed I was in a bedroom but couldn't pinpoint exactly which one it was. I felt tired suddenly and wanted to go to sleep, but the dress was restricting and uncomfortable so I struggled to unbutton the strap behind my neck. Strong hands pulled me up into a standing position and I nearly toppled over, laughs slipping through my lips. Why is everything so dizzy and fun when you're drunk? My arms wrapped around Naruto's waist for balance and he unbuttoned my dress and even unzipped the zipper for me before helping me slip out of it. I felt him pull back after tossing it away and I let myself fall back onto the bed, giggling happily at the comfort of having no tight dress on.

After wiggling over to lay correctly on the bed I waved my hand in the air and closed my eyes, "Thanks Naruto. I appreciate the help!" There was a weight on the bed next to me and I felt annoyed, "You can't sleep in here with me, idiot. The Uchiha's will assume the worst! Go sleep on a couch." The sensation of someone climbing on top of me had my eyes shooting open, but the only thing I could see was those red eyes. This isn't Naruto! I took in a sharp breath, about to scream when a deep voice spoke softly, sounding like it was a breeze brushing the leaves in the trees, "Don't look at me, don't yell, and don't move." My body followed the commands without my permission and fear flooded my very being. Try as I might, I couldn't look down to see who had taken me. My eyes were wide and terrified staring at the ceiling. Large hands roamed down to rest on my hips. I spoke silently, unable to yell, "Please stop!"

The man didn't listen and I feel his fingers hook onto my underwear, the only item of clothing left on my body. Tears are falling from my eyes by now and he stops there, instead moving his hands up to cup my small breasts roughly. The sensation felt foreign and unwelcome. My breath hitched in my throat as the one of the hands shot down to push my legs apart so the person could slip their body in between them. They bent my legs so they could be in between them comfortably and I couldn't move to fix them or kick him away. I just kept begging them to stop quietly, fighting with every ounce of my being to try and do anything to save myself from surely being assaulted. They suddenly bent down and pulled my nipple into their mouth, swirling their tongue over it. The sound of a few people walking out in the hall came and I tried my hardest to scream for help, but the screams came out as whispers and they were soon gone.

The man moved his mouth off of my breast and pulled my legs apart roughly. There was no movement for a moment, just his hands pulling my legs apart, but then there was a sharp pain on the inside of my thigh, just a few inches below my womanhood. My fists clenched and my mind reeled in confusion. He's biting me?! The spot on my thigh starts to tingle and a heat burns where his teeth touch my skin. This guy has a weird fetish! He doesn't remove his mouth and I suddenly realize he's not just biting into me. He's sucking my blood! The intense fear I was already feeling was heightened and my breathing starts to get panicky. There's a knock on the door and I open my mouth to call for whoever it is, but that voice comes again and says, "You're feeling intense pleasure." A sudden explosion of pleasure waves over my body and loud moans slip from my mouth unedited. He presses himself against me and pushes my head to the side, biting into my neck this time as I tremble under him. Hands help themselves to explore my body roughly and I can't stop feeling the pleasurable waves, moans and pants unfamiliar to my ears leaving my lips.

The door opens suddenly and the person sits back on their knees in between my legs. I turn my head to see Sasuke's eyes roaming in shock over my body and finally at my attacker. That whisper barks at me this time, no longer a calm wind, "You can't see or hear!" My sight is blacked out and it's as though a blanket has been placed over my ears. The pleasure I'd felt earlier finally stopped and I could move, though. I tried to sit up, but felt someone pull me into their arms and suddenly we were moving. I fought whoever they were with tears running down my cheeks. Drunk and terrified doesn't mix and my heart is beating so loudly I can feel it pulsing throughout my whole body. After a few moments of being carried quickly away from the room, my vision and hearing abruptly returns and I look up to see Sasuke glaring straight ahead as we approach his bedroom. I stop fighting and tears start pouring from my eyes in relief.

He'd saved me once again. I buried my face in his chest and sobbed until I couldn't sob anymore. He didn't ask me to stop or set me down the whole time, sitting on the edge of his bed and patiently waiting for me to finish. When my tears finally slowed, I still felt very drunk but was no longer happy about it. I looked up at him and tried to find the right words to say. He looked down at me with an unfamiliar expression. Finally, I pulled myself away from him. He helped me stand and averted his gaze from my bare body. I couldn't care less that he was seeing me naked at this point, "V-Vampire! It was a vampire!" Sasuke didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement. My hand shakily reached up to feel the incisions on my neck and the sticky blood still flowing from it freely, "I'm going to die, aren't I? He severed my jugular vein, right?" My breathing was picking up again and fear made my body rigid. Sasuke looked to the floor with an unreadable expression, "I can fix it." My zoned out eyes focused in on him, "W-What?" He looked up and met my gaze, only this time his eyes were blazing red like his brother's. My legs gave out from under me and I crumpled onto the floor in disbelief. They're all vampires, aren't they? "Did you...?"

He cut me off, "I've never attacked you. Not once. The first time was Madara and the second time was Sai, but his was an accident." He knelt down on the ground in front of me, "You'd cut yourself in front of him and he lost control for a moment. Madara wanted to feed from you and then make you forget about it but it didn't work completely for some reason." My eyes locked bravely onto his glowing ones, "You all lied to me." My vision was becoming hazy with my blood loss and I struggled to stay upright, holding myself up with one of my arms. His blood red eyes traveled down to my neck and his eyebrows furrowed, "Let me help you and then I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Dread was already filling my head, "Why? So I can be cattle for you and your family? I'd rather die." He glared at me, "You know I wouldn't let that happen." I glared right back, "No, I don't know that. You weren't honest with me about something this big so how can I be sure that you're not just pretending? This is exactly what I was talking about the other day! I can't trust you, Sasuke!" He barked back, "If you want to bring up trust, how about you explain why you were spying on me with Karin earlier?" My gaze hardened further, "I was drunk and she forced me. You know I wouldn't spy on you willingly."

His glare faded slightly and he shook his head, "Stay still." My body went rigid and fear filled my veins once again. They can control me all they want. He moved my hand away from my neck and ran his tongue over the bite mark there. My fingers were all that I could move and I tried desperately to grab anything to hurt myself with so I could snap out of it in case he tried to do something to me. "You can move again." I struggled to push him away from me, but had no where to go. He glared at me, "Don't be stupid, Sakura. If I wanted to kill you I would've already done it. If I wanted to rape you, I would've done that already as well."

My face heated up in distress. How can he speak to me like that when I was nearly raped not an hour ago? He looked down at my lap and I moved my bloody hands to cover my thighs. "I would rather have your permission for that one, given it's position, but I don't need it. Your choice." It's not though. Either way his mouth is going to be far too close to my womanhood than I like. My face was red under his like-colored gaze, but I reluctantly unfolded my legs and spread them slightly so he could see the bite. He didn't hesitate and pressed my legs open further, leaning on his hands in knees so he could lick over that bite as well. A shiver ran down my spine at the sight of his tongue against my skin and that same warmth spiked up in my abdomen.

He looked up at me with a smirk, "We can tell when that happens, as well." I pushed his head away and pulled my knees together and up towards my torso, venom filling my words, "Fuck you, Uchiha." His smirk sank away and he rose to his feet, pulling me up to mine by my arm, "Can you take a bath by yourself or are you still too weak?" I stumbled into the bathroom without speaking to him and slammed the door behind me, locking it loudly and quickly starting the bath water so he can't hear the tears of betrayal falling from my eyes once again.


	11. Chapter 11

While my bath was filling, I stared at my battered reflection in the mirror and desperately tried to swallow the sobs pushing their way out. The marks on both my thigh and neck were completely gone, not even a scar left to commemorate the attack. Sasuke must've been patching me up after each attack. I wonder why his repairs were perfect after the first attack and not so perfect after the second one? My once expertly styled hair and makeup was completely ruined, eye liner and mascara completely gone with the sheer amount of tears I'd spilled between wherever I'd been and Sasuke's room and strands of hair slipping messily from the bobby-pins once holding them in place.

Who had even attacked me this time around? It was definitely a man, but I couldn't remember what their voice sounded like for the life of me. Is this another side effect of being fed from? The familiar burn of self-loathing brought an angry scowl to my face and my fists clenched at my sides. I couldn't have been more stupid, could I? I've been surrounded by predators for over a week now and it should've been obvious. Now that I knew the truth, I remembered all sorts of little hints that should've tipped me off. Mikoto looking like she's in her twenties when she's really who knows how old, the family's separation from the citizens of their town, and even something as stupid as the deep red liquid that Madara was drinking during the ball that I'd assumed was red wine. Now that I think back, it appeared much thicker than normal wine should be. He was drinking blood out in the open like that as though it wasn't an issue and no one even noticed.

Even more than I was angry with myself, I felt absolutely betrayed. Mikoto, Sai, Sasuke, and all the rest of them, they'd all lied right to my face. Mikoto almost hurt the worse because of how kind and motherly she'd seemed up until now. She knew I was being attacked by her family and how much danger I've been in all this time and she didn't do a thing about it. My vision was suddenly blurred over with the sheer amount of tears pouring from my eyes and I turn away from the mirror, finding my way to the bath by memory and removing my underwear before climbing in. The hot water burnt my skin, but it was nothing in comparison to the burning inside of my body. Mikoto and her family always seem to know exactly what goes on in every inch of the castle, so will she know that I've found their secret out? Will she have me killed or erase my memory? What if it's neither and she refuses to let me ever leave the castle again, forcing me to become cattle for them to feed on whenever they feel like it?

My body began shaking in fear and I tried to push the terrifying thought from my mind. If it comes to that, surely I'll be forced to kill myself. There's no way I'm going to lay still and live a life like that. Ino's shy face from earlier as she talked about her feelings for Sai suddenly crossed my mind and my eyes shot wide open. Oh no! Is he feeding on her as we speak? What if he's been hypnotizing her this whole time! My eyes searched the bubbles surrounding my body as I tried to come up with a plan. Ultimately I decided that if he hasn't killed her yet, she surely wouldn't be killed tonight, especially after being introduced as his date in front of the entire town. It'd look too suspicious. I'll have no choice but to come clean to her in the morning. Even if it puts her in more danger, she deserves to know about what's going on around her.

Exhaustion seeped through my skin and I sank slowly under the water to wash away the rest of my tears for the night. I'll just have to woman up and deal with this one way or another, even if it kills me. It's not like I'm destined for having an amazing life, anyway. Hell, if the Uchiha's decide to let me leave after my sentence is fulfilled, for some reason, I'd be homeless and jobless. Dying quickly in the comfort of the castle's riches sounds better than suffering a slow painful death at the hands of the elements and starvation. I just have to try and save Ino before that happens. She has such potential to be an amazing and high end designer, even the queen herself said so. My lungs began to burn under water and I thought about not coming up for air for just a millisecond, but ultimately did just the opposite, frowning to myself as I washed the remainder of my dried blood off my skin. Nothing was quite as it appeared, it seems.

When my bath was finished and I was wrapped in my usual fluffy black robe, I slipped out of the bathroom and headed straight to the couch where my blanket was waiting for me. I ignored Sasuke's calculating gaze and pulled the blanket clear over my head so he wouldn't be able to see the look of absolute terror on my features. My thoughts were so loud and hectic that I never thought I'd be able to fall asleep, but the exhaustion coming from blood loss and being drunk shushed them and stole my consciousness fairly quickly. Just as it seemed I'd fallen asleep, it was morning and my eyes were creaking open. My blanket was still swaddled around me, but when I looked around I realized I was laying on Sasuke's bed instead of the couch. I shot up, immediately regretting the action as a massive pain cut through my head: a hangover no doubt.

Through winced eyes, I glanced over to see Sasuke fast asleep on his back on the couch, muscular arms crossed over his, for once, clothed broad chest. He must've moved me over while I was asleep as a way to try and get back in my good graces. While my back is very grateful, the rest of me couldn't agree that it made up for what he's done. My gaze widened in realization. He probably doesn't even sleep, does he? "You're not asleep, are you?" My voice was gravelly and blunt, all professionalism gone. He replies without changing his facial expression in the slightest, "No." I climbed out of bed and ran my fingers through my hair a few times to sooth it down from it's usual crazy morning mess, "Do you ever sleep?"

His eyes crept open, thankfully showing his usual obsidian irises instead of the terrifying red glow he'd offered last night, "Rarely." My hands froze in my hair and I tore my gaze from his appearance. How am I supposed to act around him now? "So I suppose there will be consequences to me finding out, right?" His eyes followed my movements as I crossed the room to approach my miniature dresser and find a dress to wear for the day. "That depends." His deep voice which usually stirs something animalistic in my lower abdomen was just making my teeth grit in annoyance today, "What's with the short answers? If you're going to kill me, just say it now." I closed the drawer harder than I meant to and stood to face him.

He'd yet to move and hadn't even changed his facial expression. "I won't let you die." My face paled at his monotone answer. What's that supposed to mean? Uncomfortable now under his studying gaze, I wordlessly entered the bath room and freshened up for the day. I'd be back to my original schedule since the ball was now in the past. Once my hair is brushed and pulled back into a messy braid, I brush my teeth and wash my face before applying minimal make up to cover up any signs of how much I'd drank the night before. When I reopened the bathroom door to head out, Sasuke was standing there blocking my way. His eyes ran down my body before finally meeting my own shaken ones. "M-Move, Sasuke."

My voice wavered, betraying me. He slowly reached forward to lay a hand behind my neck, pulling it gently to the side so he could see where I'd been bitten yesterday. I gulped anxiously as he leaned down, trying to look at anything but him and failing. My body was shaking like a leaf and when his lips met my skin, my hands actually shot up on instinct to push him away, but he didn't budge. My breath caught in my throat and I did what I could to mentally prepare myself for the sting that was no doubt about to follow when he bites in, but it never happened. His lips pressed against the tender skin on my neck for a few moments before he pulled back slightly, just enough so our eyes could meet, "I won't do it until you tell me to."

My whole body is cold and frightened at his proximity since I know now just how dangerous he was. He releases his hold on me and I hastily step around him, my anger from last night returning. I turned to face him once I was at the door and he just stared as I spoke to him hatefully, "You're absolutely insane. I'd rather you just kill me than use me as your twenty four hour snack." I stomped out of the room, seething, and shut the door behind me. The day goes on normally until breakfast considering the fact that I didn't see anyone else at all while sweeping and mopping the halls. When breakfast time came, I headed downstairs cautiously. Sasuke hadn't told me who'd attacked me last night and I'd forgotten to ask so all of my defenses were up. The hair on my arms was sticking up as I peeked around each corner before entering each hallway. As I neared the dining hall, someone poked me in the middle of my back and all of my alarms went off. I span on my heel and was ready to do whatever I could against my attacker, only to be met with Ino's amused smile, "Someone's on edge...Good morning, Saku!"

My heartbeat slowed back down to normal and I pulled my sister into a tight hug, which she accepted awkwardly, patting my back a few times, "Um, it's good to see you, too." I then held her at an arm's length, glancing around for anyone else before leaning forward and whispering where only she could hear, "Did anything weird happen to you last night?" Her face heated red in an instant and she pulled my hands from her arms to hold them in her own, "I didn't think you were into this kind of girl talk! What do you want to know because there's a lot that happened?" My face's color soon matched hers as I realized what she was talking about. Surprised, I whispered even quieter, "You didn't sleep with him, did you?"

She released my hands and waved a dismissive hand, "Jeez, you're such a prude, Sakura. Everyone does it before marriage these days." The blood in my face drained quickly. Did they use protection? Can she even get pregnant by a vampire? My sister intertwined the fingers of one of each of our hands before pulling me towards the waiting dining room, "Let's talk about it later, I'm starving!" Everyone else was already waiting for us at the table and they watched us approach in silence. I took my usual seat in between Mikoto and Sasuke, frowning at the smitten look on Ino's face when Sai rose to pull her chair out for her.

Mikoto's silky voice spoke, causing me to physically jump in surprise, "My My My! Didn't we all have an interesting night last night? I trust you girls enjoyed yourselves?" Ino nodded, bowing as best she could in the sitting position, "Yes, Ma'am. Your family really knows how to throw a celebration. Thank you for having us." I nod shakily in agreement, avoiding the matronly Uchiha's eye contact. "What about you, Sakura? Sasuke tells me you drank a bit too quickly and retired early. I trust the portion of the party you did witness was to your liking?"

I nod again, bowing in a similar fashion as my sister had. She gently rubs a few circles in my back, my skin freezing under her unwanted touch, "Aw, our Sakura must be experiencing her first hangover. Perhaps I shall take it easy on you today and we can all eat in silence, dear." I manage to smile up at her, a shiver running down my spine when our eyes finally meet. It wasn't that she looked different since she no doubt knew I'd found out about their secret. It was that she looked exactly the same, like nothing had changed. I supposed my finding out really isn't that big of a deal to them, after all. The only people who'd be looking for me if I were killed would be Ino and Naruto, one of whom is already in their grasp and smitten with one of her sons nonetheless.

Naruto would be easily fooled, unfortunately. Madara now knows of his feelings towards Hinata, having witnessed them dancing last night, and would know to use her as bait. She pulled her hand away from me and motioned for us all to go ahead and begin eating. Breakfast was awkward and silent, not one person talking. Itachi's fiance, Temari, wasn't present and I had no idea where Sasuke's date had gone. Frankly, I didn't care where she went. If she was anything like Karin, which I had a feeling she was, I wanted to stay as far away from her as possible. Just before we were finished cleaning the dishes, Mikoto stopped both Ino and I from leaving the kitchen, "Before you go, girls, I wanted to let you know that the Subaku family will be joining us for dinner tomorrow evening.

You both left wonderful impressions on their only princess and she has returned to her home to fetch her two brothers, the crowned prince and the king of Sunagakure, Kankuro and Gaara. You'll both be free of your cleaning duties tomorrow so you have time to prepare yourselves. These are very important guests with whom we have many trade agreements in the works and we wouldn't want to deny them the pleasure of meeting you two in your very best, would we?" Her words probably sounded encouraging to Ino, but to me they felt threatening. I don't want to know what she'd do if one of us accidentally offended the visiting royals.

Later on, while I was in the laundry room on the main floor switching over some clothes from the washer to the dryer, the sound of the door closing behind me drew my attention. I shot up, spinning just in time to see Madara give me a sheepish grin, "Sorry for frightening you, Miss Sakura." Ino was helping Mikoto with her garden outside and I had no idea where Sasuke was so panic was rising fairly quickly in my blood. My anxiety was flaring up more than usual now that I knew Madara had been behind the first attack all along, playing innocent each time I'd asked him about it. I kept the large laundry basket in between us, "What do you want?" His eyes narrowed slightly, "You don't need to do that. I'm not here to force myself on you like Obito."

Obito? Who's Obito? A light-bulb flashed above my head and I put two and two together. This "Obito" must be the one who attacked me last night. Somehow knowing that the person who'd touched me so sensually was a complete stranger made it worse than if it had been someone I'd met already. "Who is he?" My voice was mistrusting and I knew he could tell by the confident smirk beginning to form on the corner of his lips. It seems his prince-ly personality was all an act. "He's a cousin to the royal Uchiha family." He began pacing calmly back and force in front of me, explaining as though he were teaching history to an elementary student.

"You see, the royal family is made of pure blooded vampires while our cousin is not. His mother was a human. As a result, he lacks self control. You're lucky you were found when you were or else you may not be alive today." His eyes danced with ease down to my chest, which caused me to pull my arms up and around myself in an attempt to hide from him, "While I was referring to his feeding habits, I can see why he'd lack self-control when it came to taking your virginity as well. Even I would struggle to control myself."

He took a threatening step forward suddenly, causing my breath to be caught in my throat. The only thing separating our bodies was the laundry basket and his eyes started to glow red as he peered down into my frightened eyes, "The smell of your innocence is driving each and every one of us mad, even Mikoto. I'm surprised Sasuke hasn't taken you yet. It wouldn't be hard." One of his hands reached up quickly, so fast that I hadn't even seen it coming, and rested around my neck. His eyes rolled sickeningly back into his head and he took a deep breath in, "Your heart's beating so fast, Sakura. Your blood is pumping so quickly through your veins. I remember how uniquely sweet your blood tasted that night." His grip on my neck tightened slightly and a gasp slipped from my lips, "I'd love to get another taste, but only if you'll allow me."

I shook my head quickly and he chuckled, not loosening his grip in the slightest. My face burnt with humiliation. I was so weak compared to him. Once his laughs ended, his eyes suddenly locked onto mine and all else around me blackened. I heard his voice more clearly than last time, "Tell me to feed on you. Beg me." My lips moved on their own, as well as my hands. My arms moved and he allowed me to pull on the front of his shirt, releasing his grip around my throat, "Please! Please drink! I need you to feed from me! Please!" Tears were starting to slip down my cheeks and his lips turned up into a triumphant smile, "Well, I can't say no to that face, can I? Don't scream." He knocked the laundry basket to the side and picked me up to set me on top of the running dryer.

With a fistful of my hair in his hand, he yanked my head to the side and bit into my neck roughly. He hadn't told me not to fight him and I did try to push him away over and over with all of my strength, but I could feel my energy draining with each second of him feeding on me. In an attempt to not die, I stopped fighting and simply clutched onto his shirt for dear life, worried that if I let go I'd lose consciousness. His free hand was gripping my shoulder tightly, enough so that I was sure there'd be a bruise when he was finished. He pulled back suddenly, running his cold tongue slowly across the puncture wounds he'd caused before continuing to run it up my neck until he reached my jawline. He then pulled back, offering me a grateful smile, "Thank you for the meal, Miss Sakura. You taste just as lovely as before. I don't think I've ever tasted someone as sweet as you."

I glared at him through teary eyes, hatred seeping from my words, "Go fuck yourself, you monster." Even if he'd healed the bite wound, the memory of the raw pain that had been there was still fresh. He released his grip on both my hair and my shoulder, watching with amusement as I rushed to catch myself from falling backwards. "I think it's best if we don't mention this to Sasuke, don't you?" His eyes were still glowing red and I could tell that that had been one of the orders I couldn't break. How long do these orders last? Last night, Obito's orders hadn't lasted that long, but Madara had said that he wasn't as strong because he isn't full blooded. Madara placed a kiss on one of my hands before exiting the room, "Until next time, my dear."

I stared down at my lap and watched as tears dropped from my face onto the expensive cloth of my dress. This isn't how I want to live. This isn't how I deserve to live. Maybe I'm not perfect, but I haven't done anything so terrible so as to have earned a punishment as severe as this. I turned to look at my reflection in the tinted window. He hadn't missed a drop of blood and the bite mark was completely healed. Other than my fatigue, there was no proof of what just occurred. How am I going to get out of this one?


	12. Chapter 12

The day ended as soon as it began and by the time I fell asleep on the couch, it wasn't even dark outside yet. I only saw Sasuke during breakfast and dinner and he was still missing when I fell asleep. I'd even locked the bedroom door before falling asleep, knowing that it wouldn't stop him if he really wanted in. Once again, when my eyes slid open in the morning, I was not on the sofa I'd fallen asleep on. Sasuke was laying in the exact same position as before only he wasn't bothering to pretend to be asleep. Our eyes locked instantly and we stayed that way for a few moments of silence before a sigh finally slips from my mouth.

If I'm going to make it out of this sentencing alive, I'm going to have to place my trust in someone to help me. I'd tried to take care of everything by myself yesterday and look how that turned out. Slowly so as to take stock of each little pain on my body, I sit up onto the edge of the bed. My shoulder is the most painful ache and I'm cautious to not put too much pressure on that arm. I take a deep breath and meet Sasuke's deep gaze head on, "I want to apologize for how I spoke to you yesterday. Your secret is very dangerous and it makes sense that you wouldn't just tell me right off the bat."

His expression didn't change in the slightest, but he replies in his rumbling baritone, "What changed your mind?" My mouth opened to answer honestly, but a searing pain shoots through my neck when I try to tell him about Madara. A raspy gasp slips from my throat and both of my hands shoot up in shock at the electricity. It's so intense that I struggled to breathe. Sasuke sits up slowly, his brow quirked in confusion. The pain ended as quickly as it began and I silently try to catch my breath. "You can't tell me, can you?" I shook my head no, my terrified green eyes searching his opaque ones. He stands in front of me and gently moves my hair off of my shoulders so he can search the skin on my neck, "We can work around it."

He chastely removes his hands from my skin once he realized there's no evidence there. He rummaged around his bedside table for a pen and paper before handing them to me, one of his books under the paper so I can write properly. "Just put a check or an ex." I nod, accepting the fanciest pen I'd ever seen into my hand and waiting patiently for him to ask a question. He kneels down in front of me, "Was it a man?" I drew a check mark. He continued without showing any reaction, "Did he feed from you?" Another check mark. His eyes locked onto mine for a mine for a moment and my face heated up in shame. He continued, not looking away from my face, "Did he rape you?" The redness in my face suddenly becomes darker and more from embarrassment than shame as I drew a thick ex on the paper. "I didn't think so. You don't smell any different." He seemed to be talking to himself, but it still bothered me, "Don't talk about me like I'm not sitting right in front of you!" His eyes refocused onto mine and he ignored my statement, "Was it Sai?"

I draw an ex quickly, but am reminded of my conversation with Ino yesterday. I was so distraught after being attacked by Madara that I'd avoided her for the remainder of the day so she didn't get a chance to give me any details about the night she'd spent with his brother. "Speaking of Sai, you know he's sleeping with my sister, right? Isn't that kind of creepy considering how close she looks to Mina and all?" Sasuke's gaze tears away from my face and the air became tense. He looks annoyed for a moment before giving a defeated sigh, "Mina is one of your ancestors so it doesn't surprise me in the slightest." I stayed silent for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what he'd just said, but eventually come up with words, "I'm sorry, what?" He directed his glare to the ground, sitting next to me on the edge of the bed, "Mina has been dead for nearly three hundred years." My eyes shot to his face in disbelief, "B-But your mom said-!" He cut me off, "My mom says a lot of things to cover for us."

We sat in silence, both staring at the carpet and just pondering before another question rose within me, "So did Itachi really kill her, then? Or was that another lie..." His glare hardened further and he spoke as though he didn't want to tell me what he was, "He did kill her, but only because he'd been glowed to do so." So they refer to that ordering thing they do as "glowing". "Wait a minute! Vampires can be glowed or whatever, too?" His eyes met mine and I realized that this was sensitive information, "Only a very powerful vampire can do glow another of his own kind." It was silent for a few moments before I tried to lighten the mood, "So, can you glow another vampire?" The corner of his lips tilt up ever so slightly at my curiosity, "I've only ever successfully done it once and it was on a half-ling."

I nodded, assuming that's what they refer to the non-full-blooded vampires as. I opened my mouth to ask yet another question when he cuts me off, "You ask a lot of questions. It's annoying." Embarrassment showed on my face and I shrugged my shoulders, "Can you really blame me? You can ask me questions too if you want." While I was just joking, he took the offer instantly and immediately popped off an inquiry, "When is your birthday?" My mouth spits the answer out before I can process the question, "March twenty-eighth." His lips turned up yet again for just a moment and annoyance prickled at my nerves, "What's so funny?!" His eyes appeared warmer than usual for just a moment, "I knew you were an Aries."

An unladylike scoff escapes my lips, "Don't tell me you believe in all of that zodiac stuff? You know it's just...well, I suppose if you're real the zodiac may as well be, right?" He rolled his eyes at me. A small laugh slipped out and I covered my mouth with one of my hands to mask the sound before continuing to question the Uchiha, "How old are you?" His eyes hardened back up and he spoke in a more serious voice, "I'll be three hundred and thirty-two in July." My face paled and the conversation felt close to being over. He gently reached over to turn my head towards him, "I won't apologize for what I am." My face heated up under his searching gaze and I shook my head slowly at him, "I'd never blame you for something you can't control."

He held my gaze for a few moments before leaning in slightly. Panic exploded throughout my body and I tore my head from his soft grasp. He let out another sigh, hand falling heavily back down onto his lap, "You still don't trust me." Tears prickled in the corners of my eyes and I tried to blink them back. Even if you take away the fact that I'm completely new to all things romance and how it'd never work between us, there's still another thing stopping me from indulging in my desires. "If you want something to play with you can call Kayuya or Karin, but I refuse to indulge someone who would demand me to share." With that, I rose to my feet and headed out of the room to help Mikoto prepare breakfast.

Today was the day that the Subaku royals would be visiting for dinner so I wasn't supposed to do my normal chores, which left my schedule quite open for the morning time. Sasuke didn't stop me as I left and I was angry at myself for being upset at him for it. He wasn't the type to chase someone and it was dumb of me to expect him to. I meant what I said though. If I'm going to be fighting off vampires and serving the royal families, I might as well accept one of the prince's advances, but on my terms only. I'll probably be dead before my sentence ends, so why not experience some new things before my end? Of course I'll never be as brazen as Ino, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to loosen up a bit. Terror locks my limbs up as I peer around each corner before finally arriving in the kitchen to see Mikoto laying out some fine dishware at the table.

She looked up as I approached, "Good morning, Dear. I trust you're feeling better today?" I nodded with a polite smile, still uncomfortable around the Uchiha mother. She stopped what she was doing and gives me a soft smile, "I suppose you're looking for some answers?" I grabbed some plates from the cart nearby and helped her set the table, avoiding her knowing gaze, "I'm in no place to be demanding anything, am I?" Mikoto let out a short laugh, but it didn't feel threatening, "I can't apologize to you for any of my actions, you know that. My family comes first and I wasn't sure if you'd become a part of it. I'm still not sure, in fact." I felt confused at her words, but let it go as she continued, "I really do like you, Sakura. I want you to be safe, but I want my family's secret to be safer."

I met her eyes in acknowledgement. None of this was news to me. She smiled once more, a scene of beauty, "The fact that you're still standing here means that you haven't decided to attempt telling anyone and for that I'm grateful." My mouth turned up into a small smile before I could stop it and I immediately wiped it off of my face. I couldn't take her words at face value anymore given the amount of telltales she's told me already. I have to keep my guard up for my sake.

Around two in the afternoon, Ino found me reading in the living area and dragged me up to her room to do my hair and make up for the dinner this evening. She spoke excitedly as she curled my hair, smiling at me once in a while in the mirror, "I'm glad you're finally letting me do your hair and make up! You never used to let me back home." A sad smile found itself on my lips, but she didn't seem to notice, "It sucks you got sick yesterday! I was looking forward to giving you all the details while they were still fresh in my mind, but better late than never, right?" My face erupted with heat as she got straight to the point. Ino's never been one to beat around the bush, that's for sure. "He was so perfect, Sakura. His body looks like it was sculpted by God just for me." I closed my eyes and tried my best not to picture it.

"He was big, too. At least I think he was...I don't really have anyone to compare him to, but it hurt really bad at first! He was so gentle when it was painful, though, thank the lord." My eyes shot open and I looked at her reflection with confusion, "Wait, so you never did it with Kiba?" She scoffed, "Please! I'm not that easy, Sakura! I was saving myself for the one." Her voice got all dreaming when she said those last few words and it was never harder to keep my mouth shut. Instead of just telling her about what I'd found, I tried to see if maybe she was suspicious at all, "So, you haven't noticed anything weird about Sai, then?" She sprayed some hairspray lightly over my freshly curled hair before starting to gently run a comb through it to produce loose and feminine curls, "Well, I've noticed that it takes a lot to tire him out!"

My face erupted once more with heat. She continued, sitting down the comb and spinning my chair around so she could start on my make up, "I've experimented with touching myself a few times, but nothing has ever come close to how he made me feel that night and I don't think anything ever will." I couldn't stop myself from stopping her from continuing, "Christ, Ino! Aren't you embarrassed to talk like that at all?!" She threw a dismissive hand in the air, "Nah, it's just you. Besides, I want you to know what to expect when the time comes for you, little sister." She winked playfully. Ino sometimes teased me about being born a few minutes earlier than me. I saw her point to an extent. If there was anybody in the whole world that I'd go to for boy stuff, it'd be her.

We remain silent for a few minutes as she finished up my face. She shoos me away from her vanity as she sits down to do her own hair and make up, instructing me to search her wardrobe for something to wear. I wondered over to the familiar black piece of furniture and pull open both doors, aghast at the sheer amount of clothing within. Dresses of all styles and colors hang there for me to choose from and I had no idea where to even start. A blood red dress caught my eye and I pulled it out of the wardrobe to view. It had a sweetheart neckline accented with a single line of black lace.

I slid it on over my head, careful not to get any make up on it. It fit tight yet comfortably against my skin until it hit my hips, where it fell more loosely all the way to the floor. It was sleeveless, but held an air of class about it. Ino strode out of her bathroom and gasped, "How did you find it? That's the one I was going to recommend! You're getting better at this, Saku!" She fished a black ribbon out of the bottom of the wardrobe and tied it into a bow around my neck, "There! Now you're all ready to go!" Even though I was one hundred percent sure there were no marks on my neck, my body still went into a panic when here eyes strayed around my neck, "What?" She shook her head, "Oh, nothing! Give me just a minute and I'll be ready as well." There was a knock at the door and Ino motioned for me to answer it while she retreated to her bathroom to slip on her own dress for the evening. I hesitantly opened the door and immediately felt tense when Sai's blank smile met my eyes, "Good afternoon, Sakura! You look wonderful."

He invited himself in and stepped around me to sit on the edge of the bed. He smiled kindly up at me as I stood frozen at the door, "Is something wrong?" I glanced quickly to the closed bathroom door and back to him. He seemed to understand and spoke freely, sending a panic through my body, "Don't worry. She already knows. I didn't glow her." The bathroom door opened as if on queue and Ino stepped out in a skin tight two-piece. The bottom half was a black, skin tight skirt that even had a sort of corset on the waist. Tucked into it was an off-white loosely fitted, long-sleeved blouse. Her hair was straight and flowing down her back loosely. Sai rose to his feet and planted a deep kiss on her right in front of me. I looked away awkwardly, but my attention was pulled back when Ino finally spoke, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I didn't know if you knew yet or not and didn't want to throw them under the bus."

She gave me a sheepish grin before leaning her head against Sai's arm, him being too much taller than her for her to rest it on his shoulder, "I think it's kind of hot." He smiled down at her and she smiled back up at him. I looked between him and her a few times in disbelief before deciding to turn on my heel and leave the room before saying something that may hurt her feelings. I heard her stop Sai from following me as I walked away, "Just let her go. She handles things on her own like this. Let her have some space." While I was grateful for her understanding, that didn't change the fact that she was unbothered by her new beau's eating habits. As I descended the stairs to try and visit the garden for some fresh air, I nearly run into someone's broad chest and sidestep, bowing respectfully before wordlessly rushing away before they could react.

Even in my anxious mess, I know that I don't want to be alone with an Uchiha other than Sasuke and I need to vacate the premises. Once I've stepped out into Mikoto's lovely garden, I collapse onto a bench in front of some rose bushes and look up to the sky. The garden is located in a small outdoor room in the middle of the castle. Beautiful flowers of all shapes and colors decorated the fairly large area, but the roses are always my go to to visit. How cliche, right? I reached forward and gently run a finger across one of the buds' petals, only to physically jump when an unfamiliar voice meets my ears, "How intriguing: A sakura blossom admiring a rose." My finger nicks a thorn when I jump and I look up to see a strange man with dark brown hair and eyes smiling easily down at me. My gaze shifted to the small drop of blood on my finger and back at him before I jumped to my feet and took a few steps away from him, "I-I have to go. Pardon me, sir."

I bowed politely before turning to leave, only for his hand to grip my wrist tightly enough to stop my movements but not hurt, "You don't need to worry, Gorgeous. I won't lose control around you." My eyes shot to his in surprise and he held my wrist up for a moment before releasing it, "Where I come from, our kind are revered as gods and woman offer themselves up as sacrifices. However, I understand things are not the same in Konoha. We treat women with the utmost respect in any regard." His eyes dance over my body and he smiles cheerfully as I try to find any words at all to say, "If you were from my home, I'd have accepted you into my collection at birth granted that hair color of yours is natural." Annoyance slipped through my blood and I could tell he noticed the change in my demeanor because he let out a boyish chuckle, "I'm only joking with you!" He continues to grin, finally offering an introduction, "My name is Kankuro, prince of Sunagakure. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

Another person appeared behind him and my attention was drawn to them as they appeared much more frightening. With skin as white as porcelain and hair the same blood-red color as my dress, the person's eyes were the most intimidating feature they had. Despite being a beautiful sea-foam green, something beastly lurked within them and the closer they got to me, the more my blood turned to ice. Kankuro finally noticed the new arrival and stepped aside, "Oh! Don't be frightened by my brother's appearance. He's always like this." My legs were shaking in fear as his brother acknowledged my presence with no expression at all, "Gaara." He spoke his name only and his voice was low and gravelly like he wasn't used to talking much. Kankuro rolled his eyes, "Sorry about his lack of speech. This is Gaara, my brother and King of Sunagakure."

I bowed politely to the royals before taking a few steps back. Even if this man tells me I shouldn't be worried, that doesn't mean I should believe him. They were obviously vampires as well and that meant that I was potentially in a world of danger. My back hit something hard and I glanced back to see Sasuke looking past me to the other two, "Gaara, Kankuro." The three exchanged bows of greeting before Sasuke led us all back inside. As we walked, Gaara and I stayed silent while Kankuro drilled Sasuke with questions, "How long has it been now, Sasuke? Forty years? Fifty?" Sasuke answered in his usual unenthusiastic way, "Not long enough." Kankuro laughed loudly before catching me staring. I quickly averted my gaze to the floor, but it was too late. "Where'd you find this beauty, eh Sasuke? Is she spoken for?" Sasuke glanced down at me briefly before refocusing his gaze on the hallway ahead of us, "She is spoken for." Kankuro pouted childishly in my direction, "Damn, really? That's too bad, Sweetheart. I would've treated you better than any of these stinking Uchihas!"

My face heated up as I kept my gaze down and ignored his flirting. When we arrived in the dining room, everyone else was already seated and waiting for us. Temari was seated next to her fiance, Itachi, and Gaara sat next to her while Kankuro sat on the other side of Sasuke. Mikoto spoke before anyone could dig in to the extravagant looking meal she and her husband had prepared, "Thank you, Subakus, for joining us for dinner. We're blessed to receive your princess into our family." Gaara nodded with that same straight face before cutting the queen off, "I've come only because my sister thought I'd be interested in a new mistress in the form of one of your human guests." His intimidating gaze landed on me and I tried to shrink into my seat, "While she was correct that I'd be interested, I've been informed by your son that she's spoken for. Is this correct, Your Grace?" Mikoto glanced over at both me and Sasuke, "If she is spoken for, I am unaware of it. Unless Sasuke himself has laid claim to her, that is."

Sasuke's glare hardens and he met the foreign king's gaze head-on. Gaara spoke once again, "Have you laid claim to this girl or not, Sasuke? It doesn't smell as though you have, unless your scent is so weak that my senses can't pick it up." Sasuke's hand tightens around his dinner knife and his jaw clenches before he closes his eyes, "I have not claimed her." My face was bright red in humiliation. It was obvious what they meant by laying claim. What does it matter if we've had sex or not? If Sasuke told him no, he should have to listen, right? Gaara's gaze returned to me as he addressed the queen once more, "What price would you ask for her then, Your Majesty?"

Panic rose within me and the only thing stopping me from bursting out an objection is the fact that they'd probably kill me for offending the visiting king. Mikoto glanced over at her son once more, "I believe even though my son has yet to lay claim to Sakura, he does hold the intention to." Temari scoffed and spoke for the first time, "What's stopping him then?" Sasuke's glare left the red-headed king and turned onto the blonde princess. Her smirk widened, "Don't tell me you're waiting until she gives you permission. What kind of vampire are you?"

Ino glared over at her, but she didn't notice. Fugaku rose his hands, silencing the table in an instant, "The girl belongs to my son. If there is an issue I suggest politely that you keep it to yourself. Let us all enjoy this meal as allies, shall we?" The Subaku's silenced themselves and dinner finally began. A few moments into the meal and I feel something nudge against my leg and look up to see Madara shoot me a wink. Anger and disgust rises in my throat and I have to take a sip of water to wash it down. Kankuro speaks again, this time in a more casual manner, "So the cherry blossom's name is Sakura, then? How suiting." Everyone turns to shoot a glare at the big-mouthed vampire. I suppose even the most intimidating of families can have annoying members.


	13. Chapter 13

Once dinner came to a close, I tried to sneak my way away from the small party that was moving towards the family room for tea and conversation, but Madara noticed me and spoke above the light chatter in the dining hall so that everyone would notice, "Where are you headed, Miss Sakura? Perhaps to grab a book before joining us all by the fire?" My hands curled into fists behind my back and I forced a smile onto my lips, "I simply wanted to take a moment to freshen up, Sir."

I glanced at Sasuke, who returned my look with one that made it obvious that he wished to escort me, but was stuck listening to Kankuro explain in detail the difference between the behavior of women in Konoha compared to his home. I tried to reassure him wordlessly before offering those paying attention to me a quick yet respectful bow and skipped away in a hurry towards the staircase. Before I could take the first step up, I noticed the closet in which Sasuke had pulled me into a few days ago was ajar and the handle of a broom was laying lifelessly on the floor.

I glanced behind me in time to see the last shadow of the party turning the corner into the hall and felt slightly more comfortable now that I had a moment to myself. A sigh slipped past my lips as I bent to grab onto the broom stick and pulled the closet door the rest of the way open so I could see where to lean it so that it wouldn't fall to the floor again. I rested the wooden piece firmly against the wall next to the mop and mop bucket and went to leave the room, only for something under said mop bucket to capture my eye. The corner of what seemed to be a cellar door was peeking out from under it. I glanced out of the closet once more, just to reassure myself that I was still alone before closing the door so no one would see me being nosy.

Despite my natural instincts telling me to get the hell out of there, my curiosity got the best of me. Careful as to not make a lot of noise, I rolled the large mop bucket away from the wall to reveal exactly what I'd thought it was: a door. It was large enough that a person could very easily fit through it, but not so large that it was very outstanding visually. I inspected the two latch-locks of the mysterious door, one on the right and one on the left, very carefully. Neither was rusty or covered in dust, so this cellar must be used at least fairly often. Maybe this is the wine cellar!

The latches came undone easily and I lifted the door up just enough to slip down onto the awaiting stairs and gently let the door fall back into place above me so it wouldn't slam. What I'd thought to be a wine cellar was clearly anything but that. The floor was concrete and wall sconces every yard or so left the hall dimly lit just enough that one could make their way without running into any walls. The hall went on for what felt like ages, so much so that I was tempted to just turn back and head upstairs so the group didn't notice how long I was taking, but again my curiosity took control and I eagerly tiptoed forward.

I finally came upon a turn in the hall, only to freeze in my tracks at the gruesome sight before me. A man, seeming to be somewhere near Itachi's age, with dark brown hair and dark eyes was chained by the ankles to a bed with cuts and bruises dusting his tanned skin. A gasp slipped past my lips and his eyes snapped open to lock onto mine. Before I could move a muscle, a snarl had left his lips and he lunged toward me. My eyes squeezed shut and I prepared for his impact against me but it never came. Opening my eye just a creek, I saw that the chains on his ankles had stopped him merely inches away from me and the whites of his eyes were beginning to darken, a sign that I'd recognized as a dead give-away that a vampire's eyes were about to turn red.

I clenched my eyes shut again so he wouldn't have a chance to order me to come closer and spoke in a panicked whisper, "Who are you?! What are you doing down here?" A deep voice from behind me broke my confident guise, "How could you not recognize your attacker? Maybe if we undressed you, it would ring a few bells." My eyes shot open in surprise and I spun around to meet Madara's cocky grin. My body unconsciously moved a few steps back, remembering the assault he'd placed on me more than one time: a huge mistake. I felt arms wrap around my torso and pull me back against who Madara had insinuated was the Obito he'd described from the night I'd almost been raped.

The black ribbon tied around my neck was pulled up tightly and the all too familiar sting of teeth sinking into my throat had me crying out in a sick mixture of fear and pain. I clawed at Obito's hands on my body and begged for him to stop, sobs interrupting my words. He was letting out a constant strew of growls and moans as though he were just saved from a desert and my blood was the first sip of water he'd had in a week. "Obito, release her." Madara's voice was calm and collected. To my surprise, the teeth that were embedded in my flesh were suddenly gone and my body was released to fall to the floor. I felt the concrete scrape both of my knees and my palms.

I glared up at Madara, piecing together what was going on. Obito is under Madara's control. It made me think that Madara must've had something to do with Itachi's incident with Mina as well. Before either of us could say anything, the sound of quickly approaching footsteps drew all three of our attentions. Sasuke came around the corner and took just a moment to take in the scene. He quickly pulled me up to my feet by my arm and pushed himself in front of me, between me and the other two Uchiha vampires in the cellar, "What do you two think you're doing?" His voice was dangerously low, almost animalistic. I pressed one hand over the bite mark on my neck in an attempt to slow the freely flowing blood and left my other hand clasped tightly in Sasuke's.

Madara quickly put on a facade for his nephew, "I just got here, My Boy! I just stopped Obito from draining her dry!" He dramatically threw a glare at Obito's shaking figure. My blood was still on the corner of his mouth. I tried to argue, "He's lying! He's controlling him!" Sasuke looked back at me with a quick expression of masked surprise before looking back over to his uncle in disbelief, "Is that true, Madara?" Madara sheepishly put his hands up in defense, "The blood loss must be making her dilusional." Sasuke was silent for a moment and I honestly thought he might believe him. Madara must've had the opposite idea because he continued with a smirk, hinting brazenly that he may be the cause for all of this, "You know, if you'd simply claim her already she wouldn't be in so much danger of being attacked by others."

My face erupted in heat and I took a slight step away from Sasuke, freezing in fear when he squeezed the hand of mine that he had a hold on to stop me from backing away further. His voice was deep and gravelly in anger once again, "Uncle, tell me this instant that you have nothing to do with this." He wasn't attempting to control Madara, but was challenging him in the most respectful way he knew how. Madara's eyes began glowing and I felt Sasuke's grip go limp on my hand. My eyes danced between the two Uchiha men quickly before it clicked in my mind what was about to happen. I grabbed onto Sasuke's shoulders with both of my hands and attempted to pull him away, but it were as though he were made of concrete. Madara's voice was like ice running down my body in the worst of ways, "You will fully believe I have done nothing negative to you or anyone that you care about. If Miss Haruno tries to convince you otherwise, I want you feed from her until you are satisfied and then I want you to bring her to me. Are we understood?"

Tears brimmed in my eyes and I let out a choked sob, "N-NO! Sasuke don't listen to him! Close your eyes!" Sasuke nodded stiffly to Madara, who then turned and faced a still-shaking and stunned Obito. Sasuke's body stayed stiff and I continued to try and pull him away while simultaneously trying to keep my eyes low so Madara didn't try to also glow me, but the handsome prince just wouldn't budge. "Obito, you will remain focused on Miss Haruno until you are told otherwise." Obito's dark eyes lit up almost instantly and landed on my own. I squeezed them shut, tears now falling freely down my cheeks, "Sasuke, please! Let's go!" I tugged and tugged on his arms, his clothes, his torso: anything I could get my hands on, but nothing was working. Madara's chuckle just angered and frightened me further and the familiar feeling of helplessness began to settle back in. In a flash, my body was tossed away from Sasuke and against one of the walls.

Before I could fall to the ground, Madara's body was pressed against mine and his teeth were sunk into my skin directly over the still bleeding marks that Obito had left. A choked gasp left my lips, but no sound would come out. Just like last time, I found myself clinging to his clothes in an attempt to hold onto my consiousness. The older vampire seemed to like this and pressed against me further, one of his hands curling up in my hair and the other holding my shoulder so I couldn't try to wiggle away from him. My sight began to dim when he finally licked the bite marks closed and whispered breathily in my ear, "It's beginning to get very difficult to control myself around you, Sakura. I fear you may soon be in very real danger." His blood red eyes faded back to black and I felt my legs give out from under me as I fainted from a mixture of exhaustion and blood loss.


	14. Chapter 14

When I came to, I was more comfortable than I had ever been in my life. A cool yet comforting form was wrapped around me that perfectly balanced out the warmth of the blankets. I was on my side, halfway strewn across the cool object. I felt someone's fingers gently run through my hair from root to tip, pushing it back out of my face and causing goosebumps to rise on my bare shoulders. Sasuke's deep and familiar voice rumbling out from under me brought my cozy world crashing down, "Sakura."

My eyes shot open in terror, all of the things that happened with Madara, Obito, and Sasuke quickly replaying in my mind. My head was resting upon Sasuke's naked and extremely toned torso so my first visual was of his defined abdominal muscles. His familiar attractive scent finally registered in my senses and I dared to look move back slightly so I could look up at his face, unsure of what to expect after what Madara had done to him in the cellar. His beauty stole the breath from my body. His dark, brooding eyes boring into my soul, he didn't say a word as he seemed to be waiting patiently, for once, for my reaction.

My eyes searched the chiseled plains of his face for any sign of acknowledgement that he remembered what happened, but unfortunately found none. In fact, all that was there was the familiar guarded expression he'd offered me when I'd touched his face in the bathroom after the incident with Sai and the stairs. I gingerly reached up to feel my neck for the bite mark from Madara and Obito, but knew even before feeling the smooth skin there that the injury wouldn't exist anymore. His eyes followed my hand to my neck with the slightest hint of curiosity, but he still didn't speak. With a sigh, I tried my luck one last time before giving up on Sasuke somehow recalling the incident completely, "How did the bite mark get healed?"

I waited for his reaction so I could study it carefully. His eyes danced between my neck and my gaze a few times before he moved to sit up with a bewildered look, "I don't understand..." I pulled back with the intent to get off the bed, but when I realized I was in nothing more than a lacy bra and underwear set, I flopped back down onto his body with a bright red face, "H-How did we end up in bed together? We didn't...?" Sasuke put a hand to his forehead with a wince, a look extremely out of place on his usually perfect features. He blinked a few times before locking eyes with me once more, "I can still smell that you're a virgin, but...I don't know how we got here. I don't know...I don't know what happened after dinner at all."

My body was still burning in embarrassment at both of our states of undress and his casual mentioning of my scent, but I tried to think of a way to explain what happened without accidentally mentioning Madara's actions. The last thing I needed or wanted was for Sasuke to drain me dry of blood whether he wanted to or not. There really isn't a way to make him fully understand without putting myself in danger. Tears began welling up in my eyes and I tried to crawl off of him before he noticed, but it was no use. His hands clasped over both of my wrists and he pulled me up until I was straddling his lap. I tried to avoid his eyes, but he released one of my wrists and gently yet firmly held my chin so I couldn't turn my head away from him. "You know something. Tell me."

My mind continued to reel whilst trying to come up with a way to tell him what happened and also ignore the heat pooling in my lower abdomen at the sheer closeness of our bodies. Almost like a fish, my mouth opened and closed as I tried to form the words, "Well...um..I-I can't really, uh, I can't tell you or something terrible will happen." His dark eyes searched my face for what felt like years, only furthering my attraction. My body was beginning to curve into his naturally, as though it knew what to do without my brain's instructions. His eyes danced down to my lips and an unfamiliar dark look crossed his face for a fraction of a second before he suddenly released his hold and gently pulled himself out from under me so he could climb off the bed and head toward the bathroom, eyes burning a dark glare into the floor.

I lay on my back on the bed, stunned. That was the first time I'd honestly been willing to participate and the first time that Sasuke had been the one to pull away. The brimming tears spilled over and I felt them drip down the sides of my face into my messy hair. Everything is so confusing. I can't tell him it was Madara or he'll attack me. Even if I somehow negate any other person and leave just Madara as an option, he still won't be able to believe it because of the glowing his uncle had placed upon him. I truly felt helpless, but also felt quite a bit guilty. Sasuke, Itachi, Obito, and who knows who else have all been affected by this evil man and I can't do a single thing to help them. If anything, I should at least try and apologize to Itachi for my prejudice and maybe he'll have some advice for me. The familiar sound of birds chirping outside brought me from my thoughts and I rose to get dressed for the day so I could begin my daily routine.

* * *

Around ten in the morning, a stoic Sasuke escorted me down to breakfast. Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari were among the remaining Uchiha family members at the table. I bowed politely to everyone, as I was supposed to, before taking my seat in between the queen and her son. Mikoto smiled calmly as she poured me a cup of coffee with steady hands, "Good morning, you two. I hope you slept well." I offered her a small smile in thanks, adding just a dollop of cream and sugar before taking a small sip of the hot beverage.

Kankuro spoke abruptly, something I'd learned quickly was normal for him, "Gaara would like to thank you all for your generosity and kindness while welcoming us into your home and family. As a token of his appreciation, he would like to invite you all to a festival in Sunagakure that begins one week from today." My eyes veered off of Kankuro and onto the redheaded king, only to nearly jump out of my skin when his intense gaze met mine. I gulped and shot my eyes down at the table in discomfort. Something about the young ruler made my skin crawl. He did very little to try and appear human.

I felt another gaze on me and glanced over to see giving me a smug smile. My eyes quickly slit into a glare and I swallowed back a sigh. Dangerous people are surrounding me left and right. Fugaku spoke in a serious tone although he were discussing business, "We are honored by your invitation, however Konoha is in the middle of an economic reformation that Mikoto, Madara, and I will not be able to postpone. May we send our three sons in our place?" The jam on my toast was beginning to make the bread soggy and I watched it sink in as I listened for a response from one of the Subaku siblings. It was too dangerous to look up into anyone's eyes right now, as I'd learned. Gaara's chilling voice sent a shiver down my spine, "I request that the Haruno sisters accompany them."

My eyes shot up to meet his once again, this time on purpose. The redhead's head tilted ever so slightly at my response and I did all that I could to not show him how terrified I really was. Fugaku replied in his same tone, "I see no issue in that." Gaara nodded and looked back down at his plate to continue his meal, releasing me from the freezing trance he had me in. Kankuro let out a low whistle over a mouthful of eggs, "You'd better make your move quick, Sasuke. Gaara never tries this hard for a girl." The table became awkwardly silent as the Uchiha in question glared at the Sunagakure prince, but chose not to respond to his teasing vocally.

I bit into my soggy toast and tried to ignore the discomfort I felt towards everyone in the room thinking about Sasuke and I having sex. Why is it so normal for these vampires to talk about sex with each other? Ino kicked my leg from across the table and I looked up at her. She gave me a familiar look that told me she wanted to talk about something so I gave her a nod to let her know I would find her today.

* * *

After helping Mikoto clear the table and do the dishes, I sneaked away upstairs before Sasuke could notice. Once I was sure no one else was around, I knocked on Itachi's bedroom door as quietly as possible. A moment passed and I wasn't sure if anyone was even in there, but the door then opened to reveal the expressionless elder Uchiha brother. "What do you need, Sakura?" A bitter taste entered my mouth as I met his red stare head on, trying to prove to him wordlessly that I trust him. "Can I talk to you for a moment, please?" The door opened the rest of the way and he stepped to the side so I could enter. Once the door was shut behind me, I turned to face him.

He stared at my face quietly as I fumbled with the front of my dress anxiously for a moment before throwing my arms out from my sides and deciding to just be honest with him, "I'm sorry, okay? Look, you were right about everything and I know you told me not to come to you when things hit the fan, but I don't know what to do or who to talk to. I'm so scared all the time and-" Tears were forming in my eyes already when he cut me off mid-rant, "I accept your apology, Sakura." My mouth clamped shut in surprise. Here I thought he would be much harder to convince of my regret. He motioned with one hand for me to take a seat at his desk and I obeyed, following him with my eyes as he crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed that faced me, "So you have found out about Madara's abilities, I assume."

I nodded, cautious to speak out loud just in case anyone else was listening in a nearby room or hallway. He continued to stare at me blankly, but I could tell that his mind was going a mile a minute. "What has he done?" I spoke in a whisper, ripping my tearful gaze from his and down onto my lap as I explained all that had happened, everything from the first attack with the tea. Once I was finished with my confession, he let out a slow noise of affirmation, "I ask that you do not make the same mistake with Obito as you did with me. I have known the man for hundreds of years, long enough to know that the assaults he has committed are not in his character." I nodded silently. I had had an inkling that Obito was a victim as much as I was all along, but it made me feel slightly better about forgiving him to hear Itachi tell me that it was true.

"As for the situation with Sasuke, I think that the only person who would be able to break the glow in him would be you. You're going to have to tell him exactly what happened, regardless of what he may do, and trust that he will find the strength to overcome his orders." My nerves only heightened as he confirmed what I'd suspected all along. Somehow I just knew that I'd have to trigger Sasuke's commands in order to open his eyes to the truth of what has been going on. I nodded silently, tears spilling down my cheeks. It felt as though I'd accepted my own death and the clock had begun to countdown. Itachi offered me a tissue, which I accepted gratefully.

"There is a way to lower the odds of him actually killing you, but I am unsure if you'll accept it, given the conversations between Sasuke and the Subakus." My heart sank and heat rose to my face, he isn't saying what I think he is, is he? He spoke calmly, but finally allowed a bit of emotion to enter his voice. I could hear the empathy he felt for me and my situation, "Beginning a romantic relationship, mental or physical, with him can only better his odds of overcoming Madara's control. The reason I wasn't able to break free when I'd been ordered to do those atrocious things to Mina was because I had never met her. I had been living with Obito and his mother for years prior and had only just arrived back home to be intercepted by Ma-." A look of great pain crossed his face and his hands jumped up to his throat for a moment before he returned to his previous state. I bravely reached over to lay a hand on top of his, the one that was resting on the bed, to show my understanding. I, too, have felt the lightning shoot through my body when attempting to break an order to not speak about specific things.

* * *

Feeling both reassured and anxious about the bittersweet advice Itachi had to offer, I returned to my duties for the day. I'd told myself a couple of times now that I'd probably end up at least fooling around with Sasuke something during my sentence because I probably wouldn't be living much longer afterwards, but now that it seemed as though the fooling around was going to become much more than that and it was going to have to happen much sooner than I'd planned, I was extremely nervous. We have only known each other for two weeks, even though it often felt like much longer than that.

On top of that, it's not like we know a lot about one another. We've had maybe one good and real conversation that didn't end with us in varying states of anger. Why couldn't I be more like Ino at a time like this? My sister would probably feel blessed to be forced to canoodle with a sexy man to live. She'd call herself lucky, even if she barely knew him. I suppose it could be much worse. At least he is attractive and seems to find me at least acceptable visually. On top of that, it's bound to not be a terrible time judging by the amount of experience he has. Would it feel like the pleasure I'd felt when Obito had glowed me the night of the ball? That was better than anything I'd ever felt in my life to that point, only dulled by the pain from the Uchiha cousin biting me. With a sigh, I shook the dirty thoughts from my head and headed to the family room to find Ino, finally finished with all of my cleaning for the day, including the dishes from dinner. I found her cuddled up in Sai's lap on one of the couches as they looked through an old photo album.

Sai's eyes locked onto mine as I walked around the room to sit in front of them on the plush rug by the fireplace. Ino finally noticed me and easily slid out of Sai's grasp to sit across from me. After motioning for him to go away so we could talk privately and waiting for him to be out of earshot, she gave me a small hug, which I gingerly returned, still a little upset with her for not sharing with me that she'd already known about the Uchiha's big family secret. She held both of my hands in hers and looked me in the eyes seriously, "Sai told me what happened to you the night of the ball and I am so sorry I didn't pick up on something being wrong." My eyes widened and my face burned in humiliation as I looked down at our hands, "It's not your fault. I didn't tell you so how would you have known?"

She squeezed my hands, making me look back up into her tearful blue eyes, "I am your sister, Sakura. You can come to me with anything, I want you to know that. Sure I get distracted by boys and stuff, but you are a priority and you matter more to me than any of that, okay?" My eyes welled up to match hers and I nodded, unable to speak with the big lump in my throat. She pulled me into a hug and let me cry into her shoulder, "God, you must've been so scared..." I hugged her tightly and attempted to vocalize my emotions for my wonderful sibling, "I have been more worried about you being in danger here than anything that's happened to me, Ino. Please tell me no one has hurt you."

I pulled away and waited for her response. She gave me a sad smile and shook her head, "No one has even threatened me. It seems so unfair to you. I wish I could share in the damage that's been done to you so you don't have to face it alone." A small smile claimed my lips and I wiped away the remainder of my tears, "Ah...I love you, Ino. No matter how annoying I call you sometimes." We both laughed before getting to our feet. Before I could head out of the room, she stopped me, "Oh, by the way, I know how shy you can be and I know you're super uncomfortable with the topic, but I really think that that Gaara guy is going to try and pull something at that festival we were all invited to." My face started to heat up as I knew where she was going with that sentence, "Maybe it's not such a bad idea to try a few things with Sasuke, if you do like him, I mean. So...do you like him?"

I let out an exasperated sigh and finally gave in, "Okay, yes, I might have a small crush on him." My sister let out a squeal so high pitched, I'm sure the dogs in the town below were barking in response. I groaned at her, covering my ears so their drums wouldn't burst, "Ugh, you are so annoying." She just giggled as she flitted off toward the kitchen, where she'd told Sai to wait for her to come get him. I shook my head with a small grin on my lips as I climbed the stairs to the second floor so I could try and meet up with Sasuke. To my surprise, he was waiting at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed and a glare directed right at me.

I gave him a confused look and walked right past him, not looking back until we were in his room and the door was closed behind us. I sat nervously on the side of the bed and looked up at his looming figure, "What's wrong?" His arms uncrossed and he continued to shoot daggers down at me for a moment before replying, "Why did you go willingly into Itachi's room alone? Are you stupid?" Panic and anger both sprang up into my chest, causing me to rise to my feet while I attempted to defend myself, "No, I am not stupid, Sasuke. Don't talk to me like that, it's rude." The prince shot back, seeming even more irked by my response, "Then explain to me why you would do the opposite of what I told you to do and put yourself in danger like that." My anger flared up and I temporarily lost control of my temper, stepping forward to point at his chest, "You don't own me, Sasuke! Stop talking to me like I'm a child!"

His glare burned wild as he grabbed my wrist and yanked it down away from his chest. I gave him a look of disbelief at his action, but he cut me off with a rising voice, "I think you've forgotten who you're speaking to." I attempted to free my wrist from his grasp with my other hand, but he caught it easily in his own much larger one, "I don't give a damn that you're a prince, Uchiha, because right now all you're being is an ass!" We were face to face, bodies nearly touching, both angry and ready to fight some more with one another. My glare burned into his own just inches away as I waited for him to form a response.

To my surprise, his eyes dropped down to my lips once again and in the pool of anger that was rising in my chest, a large drop of sexual attraction was submerged. In one swift movement, Sasuke pulled me against him and crashed his lips against mine hungrily. My body moved of it's own accord and my lips mirrored his in eagerness. My hands darted around his shoulders, my fingers wrapping in a tight fistful of his hair. His hands steadily released my wrists and traveled easily down my back until he suddenly pulled me up and moved my legs to wrap around his waist. A soft moan that I'd never expected to come from my body slipped past my lips against his mouth and he replied with an animalistic growl before sliding his tongue past my teeth so it could begin an intricate dance with my own. My back hit something hard, a wall I assume, and another moan vibrated my throat, unable to make it past the war going on in between our tongues. Sasuke's hands left my legs and roughly began exploring the small curves of my body.

A knock at the door broke us apart and my eyes shot open in shock. He moved back a step and let me claim my balance before running a hand through his messed up hair and turning to answer the door. The burning look in his eyes was gone in that single moment and the guarded look from before had returned. I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind me, letting myself fall to the ground with my back against the door and a hand shakily at my lips. That was one hell of a first kiss.


	15. Chapter 15

My heart was beating so loudly in my ears that I had trouble eavesdropping on the conversation that Sasuke was having with whoever had interrupted our accidental make out session by knocking on the bedroom door. I was nearly sweating with embarrassment as the memory of my lewd actions just moments ago played on repeat behind my eyes. Sasuke will surely make fun of me for being so unfiltered with my reactions once his guest was gone. Is it normal for women to make those sorts of sounds in a situation like that? I bet it isn't and he thinks I'm some kind of weirdo, or well, more of a weirdo than before.

With a shake of my head to push the anxious thoughts out and a few deep breaths to attempt to calm my heart, I put my ear to the door and felt the heavy weight of jealousy drop into the pit of my stomach. Karin's nasally voice had become easily distinguishable to me after nearly getting caught in one of her shenanigans. With a small frown on my lips, I took a few moments to freshen up my disheveled appearance before exiting the restroom with as calm an aura as possible. "Oh! You didn't tell me Sakura was here, Baby." My gaze shot up to take in the view of her clearly being in the process of undressing in front of Sasuke, who was sitting on the edge of his bed with that same guarded look, only his gaze was on the floor and not either of the females present.

A humorless scoff slipped past my lips and his dark eyes locked onto mine. I shook my head in disbelief before clamping my mouth shut and leaving the room, shutting the door behind me and angrily heading to the garden for some fresh air to clear my head. Neither of them followed me, as far as I could tell, and for that I was thankful. I felt like a complete idiot for acting like that in front of both him and Karin. He never even hinted at having the intentions to break things off with Karin, Tayuya, or any other women he may be involved with, yet there I was acting like a jealous little girlfriend when all we did was kiss one time.

I began watering some of the flowers, letting the moonlight and soft breeze brush against my hot face. "The Uchiha Prince insists he claims you, but constantly lets you wander off alone like this." A chill ran down my spine at the deep and raspy voice whispering directly into my ear. I looked to the side as I nearly jumped out of my very skin in surprise to see the king of Sunagakure, Gaara, leaning down mere inches away so he could stare straight into my eyes. The watering can fell silently to the ground and I turned to take a few steps away from the redhead, "U-Um!"

His eyes seemed to glow in the lowlight and he stepped forward to maintain the lack of distance between us, "It was not my intent to shock you. I couldn't help myself from approaching you when the scent of your arousal came to me. Is your master leaving you unsatisfied?" A variety of emotions were swirling around inside of me: fear, embarrassment, regret, and even anger. I couldn't seem to find the correct reply so I put up my hands in defense and shook my head no. The royal's eyes searched my face unblinkingly, "In my home land, my kind does not ask humans for consent, but seeing as I am a visitor to Konoha I will follow their customs. Would you like me to ease your discomfort?"

My legs nearly gave out in disbelief and a dizziness swept over me as my face rose in temperature, "N-N-No thank you!" The redheaded man almost scared me even more than Madara with his clearly inhuman demeanor. The redhead tilted his head in what seemed to be confusion, but his facial expression did not change so the act came off more threatening than it otherwise would have. "A rejection. I see." His eyes seemed to darken slightly and my legs finally gave out from under me, causing me to land roughly with my knees to the pavement. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to look away, but couldn't.

The redhead continued to stare into my eyes, but the darkening in his own reverted to the white that was there before. "Do you fear me, Sakura Haruno?" I managed to nod ever so slightly and he surprisingly offered me a hand, seemingly to help me back up to my feet. I looked at his hand, then at his face, and back again in disbelief before gingerly accepting it. Once I was back upright, he quickly pulled his hand away from mine with that same studying gaze, "I am making my intentions clear." I anxiously smoothed my rumpled skirt without looking down at it.

"I aim to have you as my own. Should the Uchiha lose his interest, I will be there." An amused laugh finally broke our eye contact and we both looked over to see Kankuro sitting on a bench watching us as though we were putting on a show for him personally. "Damn, Gaara, at least try to woo her a little before you confess your undying love." I took a few steps back, towards one of the doors that led back into the castle, "I-I-I have to go…" The brunette vampire laughed again as I turned on my heel and rushed away from the foreign visitors. My whole body was still very much shaking in fear as I walked quickly up the stairs only to freeze at the top of them as I remembered that Karin was in Sasuke's room and I couldn't just waltz in there when they're probably in the middle of who knows what.

With a defeated sigh, I turned and headed back downstairs. After grabbing a spare blanket and pillow from the laundry room, I made myself a little makeshift bed on the plush rug in front of the fireplace in the family room. No sooner had I started to drift off to sleep was my comfort disrupted by the obvious sound of angry high heeled feet stomping towards me. I sat up groggily only to have a weight force itself on top of me in the form of a fuming Karin. With a speed I didn't know I possessed, I caught both of her hands in my own before she could land her claws into my face and pushed against her to try and knock her off of me. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she let out an animalistic snarl, "You lying whore!"

My blood started to boil at her insult and I somehow forced her off of me and onto her back, this time climbing on top of her so I could try and figure out what the hell was going on. She glared up at me as I managed to growl at her through teeth grit in effort to keep her down, "What is your problem?!" I felt a crack in between my shoulder blades as her knee undoubtedly came into contact with it and I was thrown forward. The two of us rolled, pulling each other's hair and attempting to wrestle the other down. "You're sleeping with Sasuke, you slut!"

She landed a blow to my mouth. I responded to the attack by hitting her on the side of her face, the familiar sting of a busted lip making me even angrier, "I'm still a virgin, you-!" I was suddenly pulled back by both of my arms, but I ignored whoever it was and tried to fight my way out of the grasp so I could continue to defend myself against the redheaded she-devil. Karin rose to her feet angrily as though she had the same thing in mind, but froze when her eyes landed on whoever was holding my arms. Through the angry red hue coating my vision, I noticed her reluctance and stopped moving so I could look back.

My blood ran cold when Sasuke's angry face met my eyes. Luckily for me, his burning glare was focused on the other woman in the room, but that didn't mean it didn't frighten every fiber of my being anyway. His voice was cold as ice, "Do not come back." She uncharacteristically scurried her way towards the nearest exit of the castle. Neither Sasuke or I moved until the clacking of her heels against the floor was no longer able to be heard. I yanked my arms away from his grip and stormed past him to collect the blanket and pillow from the floor, "You shouldn't have stopped us."

He spoke in a cold voice that he hadn't used around me since I'd first met him, "We need to talk." I met his guarded eyes with curious ones, wiping some blood from the corner of my mouth with a nod before following him back up to his room. Once the door was closed behind us, I sat down on my little couch and watched as he sat cross-legged on the floor a yard or so in front of me. He, oddly enough, was fully clothed and his bed sheets seemed still made from earlier in the day. Did they not have sex while I was away? There was an awkward silence starting as we both sat there and looked at each other. I wiped at my lip again before looking down at the light red smudge on my palm as he finally began talking. "We need to talk about what happened."

My face started to heat up for the millionth time in one day, "What are you talking about in particular? Is it when you kissed me, or maybe it's when you immediately let Karin in here afterwards." He glared at me, but it wasn't the terrifying one he'd offered earlier, "She did not tell me she was coming." I raised my hands up in an annoyed gesture, "So you could've told her to leave instead of letting her in here!" I grit my teeth as soon as the words left my lips and I looked down at my lap in regret. It is very much not my place to tell him what he should do. He answered after a moment of silence, "Do you want to do this or don't you?" My eyes shot back up to him in shock at his brazenness. "D-Do what, exactly?"

He uncrossed his legs and rose to his feet calmly, striding over to pull me up firmly by my arm. I nervously made my body move upwards like he wanted so we were standing in front of each other. "Are you sure you want to get involved with something like me?" All annoyance and anger at him vanished at his question. I looked up at his guarded dark eyes and a sadness washed over me. My hands moved on their own and moved to pull him slightly closer to me, "You mean someone like you?" His dark eyes searched mine quietly for a few moments before I gave him a reassuring nod. Itachi's advice to get closer to Sasuke both physically and emotionally wasn't really present in my mind at this point and my actual emotions were steering my actions.

* * *

After verifying he and Karin hadn't done anything in it, I reluctantly let him convince me to at least sleep in the bed with him from now on. I lay stiffly for what felt like hours, hyper aware of his body just a foot away from mine behind my turned back. I eventually had to roll over or else my body was going to cramp up from lying so still and I came face to face with the prince. Our eyes met and we simply looked at each other in silence for a few moments before he spoke, "You said something terrible would happen if you told me what happened yesterday."

His voice was slightly raspier than usual as he spoke in a quiet voice and it made something in my lower abdomen flip. I quickly tried to answer the question without accidentally signing my death waiver before he could sense my body's reaction, "Um...Well...how do I put this…" He waited for me to speak silently, making it hard for me to think properly. I decided to test the waters of what he remembered, "I found Obito in the cellar. Do you remember that?" His eyes darkened angrily, "What were you doing in the cellar?" So that would be a no, he didn't remember that, then. I bravely reached over and pulled one of his hands into my own. He looked down at our hands for a moment before meeting my gaze again, "Did he-"

I nodded, "H-He drank my blood again, yes." To my surprise, he hesitantly yet gently rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. "How did you escape?" I spoke without thinking, distracted by his tender actions, "Madara interrupted him." My eyes widened as soon as I said it and my body tensed up as I waited for Sasuke to react. He gave me a confused look, the small massage his thumb was giving me stopping, "Where was I?" My brain was running like crazy trying to think of something close to the truth that wouldn't activate Madara's orders to Sasuke.

We'd only just kissed today so he'd probably end up killing me if I said the wrong thing. I quickly changed the subject, hoping he'd accept it with no questions asked, "I ran into Gaara in the garden earlier, too." His grip on my hand tightened slightly as he waited for me to continue, "He, um, said he likes me." I mean, that's a very understated version of what he'd said, right? "And?" "And what?" "And what did you say to him?"

My face warmed slightly, "I-I told him I had to go and left him there." Before I could process what was happening, Sasuke was on top of me, his knees on either side of my legs and his hands on either side of my head holding up his weight as he peered down into my surprised eyes, "Sasuke!" The familiar warmth in my lower regions was returning at an alarming rate and I tried frantically to think of sad or gross things to calm myself down, but I could see the muscles on his bare chest just inches away from being pressed against me and was struggling to keep from reaching up to touch them. It was obvious that he'd noticed this time and a hint of the heated look that was in his eyes earlier returned, "He offered to fuck you, didn't he?"

My face burst into flames, "Sasuke! Don't say things like that!" He leaned forward and I squeezed my eyes shut in nervousness. His forehead pressed against mine and I reopened them cautiously. "He could sense what I'm sensing now, couldn't he?" One of his hands moved from the mattress to hold my chin still so I couldn't move my face and he softly pressed his lips against mine in a slow, sensual kiss. One of my hands shot up to grip his wrist in shock, the other landing on his shoulder. When he pulled his back slightly, a huge wave of desire rolled through me and his name slipped past my lips in a breathy voice I didn't recognize as my own. My body was shivering slightly in a mixture of nervousness and attraction. His eyes suddenly started glowing bright red and a gasp slipped out of both mine and his lips. He blinked a few times, obviously trying to deactivate the vampiric trait and failing. "Ah...this is the first time this has happened…"

I bravely met his glowing gaze, deciding to trust the prince, "I-I don't mind…" His grip on my chin tightened slightly and he steadily moved my head to the side and leaned down. My heart was beating so loudly, I'm sure he could hear it. He kissed my neck slowly at first, as though he were waiting for me to push him away. A soft noise slipped from my mouth in pleasure and suddenly his other hand was pinning the hand that had been on his shoulder to the bed and his kisses became more hungry. The familiar feeling of teeth against my neck had both of us freezing. He let out a mixture between a groan and a growl before pulling his head back to meet my gaze once more. His voice was low and dangerous, "I won't be able to stop myself if you keep making those sounds."

My free hand let go of his wrist and he pinned in down to the bed in the same way the other one was. For some reason, I didn't feel scared of him admitting that he wanted to drink from me. Instead I felt relieved that the noises I'd failed to hold back weren't bothering him. They still embarrassed me to no end, though. His lips caught mine again and our lips danced in a similar way as they had earlier in the day. One of his hands moved down to grasp my hip roughly. His lips muffled the small squeak of surprise I let out and just like earlier he used the moment as an opening to slip his tongue into my mouth. My whole body felt hot and it tingled severely where our bodies were touching. My free hand cautiously moved to feel the firm muscles of his stomach, another wave of arousal hitting my lower region like a bomb. His hand moved around my hip and down so he could slide it under my black nightgown.

Suddenly his cold hand was massaging my breast and my body arched up to press against his in reaction. His mouth left mine again and I panted breathlessly as his lips danced back down toward my neck. His thumb rubbed against my nipple eagerly and another noise slipped out in between my panting breaths. Before I could stop him, his other hand finally released my wrist and he ripped my nightgown quite literally down the front, leaving me there in nothing but my underwear. My eyes shot open at the sudden cold air hitting my bare skin, only to meet his burning red eyes. "If you don't want me to do this tonight, you need to tell me now."

His voice was more animalistic than usual as he was obviously putting a lot of effort into holding himself back. In the dimly lit room, I could even see that his canines were slightly longer than usual in his state of excitement. Despite my state of undress and incomprehensible arousal, I hesitated to give him the okay. His glowing eyes slowly dimmed as they studied my nervous green ones until they finally reverted back to the familiar black color. I was still struggling to catch my breath and control my body's attraction to him, but felt my face burn brighter in embarrassment as I averted my gaze, "I-I'm sorry, I'm just nervous. I've never-"

"I know." I looked back up at him only for him to press his lips against mine again with the same passion as before but this time obviously more in control of himself. Both of my hands pressed against his torso eagerly, lost in the moment. Something brushed against the inside of my upper thigh and my hips pushed up against his groin with a natural response. He let out a low growl, leading me to repeat the action to see if he would repeat the attractive sound. Instead of doing just that, one of his hands slipped down to rub my womanhood on the outside of my panties.

My eyes shot open in shock and met his amused ones. He repeated the action, this time his index finger started rubbing circles in the exact spot I wanted him to like he'd studied my body for years and knew exactly what I liked. A loud moan of pleasure rose from my chest and he pulled his lips from mine to speak in a low voice in my ear, "You're so sensitive." He continued massaging me, slowly moving himself in between my legs so he could reach more easily. He continued to tease me as I struggled to hold back my reactions to his expertise, "You're so wet."

My hips bucked toward his hand as a small wave of ecstasy shocked through my body, a prelude to what he was helping build up. He let out a small snicker, pulling back a bit so he could see the tortured expression on my face. A mischievous look crossed his face and he suddenly disappeared from on top of me and retreated under the blanket in between my bent legs. With quick hands, he removed my underwear and I felt the unfamiliar sensation of hot breath directly against my womanhood. Before I could react in any way, a blaring eruption of wet heat flicked against me, causing one of my hands to reach under the blanket and wrap my fingers into his hair in an attempt to cling to my sanity. He proceeded to lick and suck at my womanhood in ways I'd never imagined anyone would ever be capable of.

Sounds of pleasure and surprise were pulled from my body one after another as a pressure in my body tightened to the point of exploding and when it finally did, my legs crossed around his head tightly and my lower body shook in sheer ecstasy for what felt like forever and just a few moments at the same time. When the last wave melted away, my whole body relaxed and all of the exhaustion my anxiety was suppressing from the day hit me like a ton of bricks. Sasuke sensually gave my lower regions a few more licks before coming back up from under the blanket with a smirk on his face. I frowned at him whilst panting, "W-What are you smirking at?"

I was still embarrassed by him seeing me this way. He leaned down and began kissing my neck slowly, whispering in his lower voice, "You taste good." I gave him a light smack on the shoulder, arching my neck to the side as his tongue danced over a sensitive spot on my skin, "Don't make fun of me!" He let out a short chuckle against my damp skin, causing a chill to run down my spine,  
"I think that's enough for tonight."


End file.
